Wildfires in Clackamas County
The risk and what we are doing to mitigate them.
The Clackamas Wildfire Collaborative is a collection of federal, state, and county agencies, fire districts, soil and water districts, public education organizations, tribal governments, infrastructure partners, and Homeowner Associations working together to help Clackamas County be better prepared to respond to and recover from wildfires.
Modeled around the National Cohesive Wildfire Management Strategy we are working to create Fire Adapted Communities, restore Landscape Resiliency, and insure Safe and Effective Wildfire Response.
We use the Clackamas County Community Wildfire Protection Plan to as a guide to help us prioritize the projects we undertake.
Who We Are
Clackams Fire Defense Board
Oregon State Fire Marshal
Mt Hood National Foresty
Oregon Department of Forestry
Clackamas County Disaster Management
Oregon State University - Fire Extension
Our Partners
City of Happy Valley
Metro
Friends of Tryon Creek
Clackamas Education Services District
Portland General Electric
AntFarm Youth Services
Portland Water Bureau
Molalla River Watch
Clackamas River Basin Council
Clackamas Soil & Water Conservation District
Pudding River Watershed Council
Oswego Lake Watershed Council
Clackamas River Water Providers
Building Partnerships
Agencies can only do so much. The real power of the Collaborative is mobilizing the community and organizing at the local level. We do this by supporting Wildfire Partnerships.
The hazards, risk, priorities, and mitigation needs vary from community to community throughout Clackamas County. This is evident when you examine the Communities At Risk profiles. Engagement of the local residents is critical in identifying the specific needs of the community and taking a tailored approach to get the biggest return on our effort. Governmental agencies can provide subject matter expertise, planning, and sometimes financial support, but the motivation and drive needs to come from the residents.
The Mt. Hood Corridor Wildfire Partnership is an example of how community planning organization, home owner associations, industry partners, local businesses and government agencies can collaborate to help a community adapt and coexist with wildfire. Through educational workshops, hazard fuel removal projects, structural vulnerability assessments, defensible space treatments, building communications networks, and engaging the state legislature, the Mt. Hood Corridor Wildfire Partnership is helping the communities between Sandy to Government camp prepare for wildfire.
We are working to expand this model throughout the county.
Our Vision
More and more, response organizations and disaster managers are building their response plans around watersheds and highway corridors. This model makes sense for wildfire partnerships as well. Our vision is to organize partnerships along highway corridors throughout the Clackamas County using the Mt. Hood Corridor model as a template.
This fall we hope to help the communities of Estacada, Colton, and Molalla organize the Hwy 211 Wildfire Partnership. We also look to organize a partnership in the Sunnyside Corridor, from Boring to Happy Valley.
Beyond that we hope to work with the communities in the Beavercreek and in the Canby area.
