{"id":20189,"date":"2024-07-14T16:31:23","date_gmt":"2024-07-14T20:31:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.merkley.senate.gov\/?p=20189"},"modified":"2024-08-06T16:33:01","modified_gmt":"2024-08-06T20:33:01","slug":"a-secured-five-year-commitment-to-states-western-wildfire-response-is-announced","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.merkley.senate.gov\/es\/a-secured-five-year-commitment-to-states-western-wildfire-response-is-announced\/","title":{"rendered":"A secured five-year commitment to state\u2019s western wildfire response is announced"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lincoln County Leader<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oregon\u2019s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and U.S. Representative Val Hoyle\u2014along with U.S. Senator Ron Wyden and U.S. Representatives Earl Blumenauer, Suzanne Bonamici, Andrea Salinas, and Lori Chavez-DeRemer\u2014and Oregon Governor Tina Kotek announce today the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF), and Forest Protective Agencies (FPAs) reached a renewed five-year commitment to the Western Oregon Operating Plan (WOOP).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The WOOP serves as the long-term agreement that governs fire response for the BLM, ODF, and FPAs all over western Oregon. As the previous iteration of the WOOP was set to expire on June 30th, Merkley and Hoyle successfully led the Oregon delegation in encouraging the parties to work in close partnership to secure another agreement to continue their coordination and preparedness\u2014including in their April letter to Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and BLM Director Tracy Stone-Manning\u2014which helped lead to a successful long-term renewal of the WOOP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs our communities continue to deal with the impacts of fire seasons that are coming earlier, and fires that are burning more frequently and with catastrophic intensity, it was imperative to reach this new agreement that will continue to provide a significant level of long-term stability for communities throughout western Oregon. These communities require reliable and consistent plans to carry out crucial long-term planning and operational tasks that will better prepare them for wildfire risks in the future, and we are confident this five-year reauthorization of the WOOP will continue this mission,\u201d the Oregon delegation said. \u201cThe agreement emphasizes interagency cooperation to continue a Wildland Fire Strategy that meets the needs of the communities in western Oregon that are nestled within some of the highest risk firesheds in the country. We applaud the Bureau of Land Management, Oregon Department of Forestry, and Forest Protective Associations who came together to work out an agreement to help Oregonians be prepared for and combat wildfire threats in the years to come.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs wildfires become increasingly complex, Oregon and the Interior Department have once again collaborated on a critical wildfire protection agreement across our intermingled lands west of the Cascades,\u201d Governor Kotek said. \u201cThese partnerships are essential to ensure essential resources to fight wildfires. Thank you to our congressional delegation, the Interior Department, and our State Forester. Oregon\u2019s wildfire protection standards which protect our communities and natural resources from the impacts of catastrophic wildfire are in good hands under their leadership.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Chair of the U.S. Senate Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, Merkley has direct oversight of the U.S. Department of the Interior\u2019s budget, which includes BLM. He has secured federal resources for wildfire management and ensured language directing BLM to maintain or enhance the level of protection covered through the WOOP was included in government funding legislation for Fiscal Year 2024, which provided a clear direction to BLM to develop this new agreement that \u201cmaintains or enhances the current level of fire protection for western Oregon forestlands through the Western Oregon Operating Plan agreement.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In April, Merkley and Hoyle led the Oregon delegation, to push for the long-term reauthorization of the WOOP, as this multi-agency agreement has proved essential for over a century in the state. This is especially important in southwestern Oregon, which has a checkerboard ownership pattern of BLM forest lands in the western region that is unique and creates approximately 14,000 miles of jurisdictional boundaries between federal, Tribal, state, county, and private timberlands. The complexity of managing fires throughout this area led to agreements to provide protection by the ODF and non-profit FPAs dating back to at least 1914. This agreement ensures that these federally contracted partners are compensated and equipped with the resources necessary to provide enhanced initial attack capability during a wildfire to protect public, private, and Tribal resources throughout the state. The arrangement has been a model of success and continues to this day, and in the years to come, as the WOOP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are incredibly proud of the work we\u2019ve done with the Oregon Department of Forestry, Douglas Forest Protective Association and the Coos Bay Forest Protective Association to get this agreement signed,\u201d said Barry Bushue, BLM OR\/WA State Director. \u201cPartnerships like this are key to successful wildland firefighting that protects communities from extreme wildfire in Oregon. This agreement ensures that longstanding partnership between ODF and BLM remains steadfast.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe updated operating plan between the Oregon Department of Forestry, forest protective associations and BLM allows us to continue providing a single, strong wildfire protection system on our intermingled lands in western Oregon,\u201d said Cal Mukumoto, Oregon\u2019s State Forester. \u201cMost importantly, it reflects our shared commitment to the safe, rapid and cohesive wildfire response that Oregonians deserve.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Coos Forest Protective Association has been providing fire protection on the BLM O&C lands for over 100 years, and we have a passion for protecting Oregon\u2019s communities and forests from wildfire,\u201d said Tyler McCarty, CFPA District Manager. \u201cThe renewal of the Western Oregon Operating Plan and partnership with the BLM allows us to provide fire suppression on those checkerboard lands, reducing the complexity of the wildfire response. This provides a safer fire environment for our firefighters and a higher level of customer service for the citizens and communities of Oregon.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThroughout the negotiations, all parties were committed to finding a path forward to continue the 100 year history of ODF and the Forest Protective Associations (FPA) providing fire protection on the O&C lands in western Oregon. The Douglas Forest Protective Association (DFPA), is very honored to be a part of this tradition and the newly signed WOOP will allow us to continue this service in a safe, efficient, and effective manner,\u201d Pat Skrip, DFPA District Manager said.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Lincoln County Leader Oregon\u2019s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and U.S. Representative Val Hoyle\u2014along with U.S. Senator Ron Wyden and U.S. Representatives Earl Blumenauer, Suzanne Bonamici, Andrea Salinas, and Lori Chavez-DeRemer\u2014and Oregon Governor Tina Kotek announce today the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF), and Forest Protective Agencies (FPAs) reached a renewed […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20189","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-in-the-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nA secured five-year commitment to state\u2019s western wildfire response is announced - Merkley<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.merkley.senate.gov\/es\/a-secured-five-year-commitment-to-states-western-wildfire-response-is-announced\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"es_MX\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A secured five-year commitment to state\u2019s western wildfire response is announced - 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