Funding for small forest landowners

On and around Labor Day 2020, wildfires burned over one million acres of forestland in Oregon, including over 370,000 acres of privately owned land. Now, funding and support are available to help small forest landowners in western Oregon impacted by the 2020 Labor Day wildfires recover and replant, while also reducing the risk of future wildfires.

“This is a chance for small forest landowners to get the support they need to recover from the devastating 2020 Labor Day fires in western Oregon by replanting native trees and helping make their land more resilient to future fires,” said Greg Houle, wildfire program manager for Sustainable Northwest.

The program is funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which is enabling Sustainable Northwest and local partners to offer the following services to small forest landowners impacted by the Lionshead, Beachie Creek, Holiday Farm, Riverside, South Obenchain, and Archie Creek fires in 2020:

- Financial assistance for reforestation and forest management planning.

- Native plant seedlings for replanting.

- Guidance and expertise on wildfire risk reduction and response, particularly around homes and communities.

- Connecting small forest landowners to share lessons learned.

- Using lessons learned to develop suggestions for how state and federal agencies can better help landowners recover from wildfires.

- Streamlining applications from groups of landowners seeking additional funding for recovery and reforestation.

- Connecting landowners to contractors as needed to implement reforestation efforts.

Landowners can learn more, see if they qualify, and apply at labordayfires.org.

Landowners can learn more, see if they qualify, and apply at labordayfires.org.

Background on the 2020 Labor Day fires in Oregon

In September and October 2020, more than one million acres of forest burned in western Oregon wildfires - specifically the Lionshead, Beachie Creek, Holiday Farm, Riverside, South Obenchain, and Archie Creek fires. Nine lives were lost. Over 6,000 homes, businesses, and structures were destroyed. Fifty thousand people were evacuated from their homes, half a million people were on evacuation watch, and millions were impacted by air quality hazardous to human health for ten days. For Oregon’s forest sector, the economic impact of the fires is estimated to be a loss of $5.9 billion1.

The communities and landowners impacted by these fires remain in crisis, struggling to recover and meet basic needs. Through this program, Sustainable Northwest and its partners are rebuilding these landscapes for the health of forests, drinking water, wildlife, and the social and economic anchors that support rural communities.

Partners include Glide Revitalization; Santiam Long-Term Recovery Group; Jackson County Soil and Water Conservation District; American Forests; Eugene Water and Electric Board; Bonneville Environmental Foundation; Oregon Dept. of Forestry; Upper Willamette Soil and Water Conservation District; Pure Water Partners; and Mckenzie Soil and Water Conservation District.