AMENDED Agenda Packet 2-19-20 Work Session

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February 19, 2020, Work Session – Item 2 EUGENE CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY Work Session: Fuels Reduction Update Meeting Date: February 19, 2020 Agenda Item Number: 2 Department: Fire Staff Contact: Fire Chief Chris Heppel www.eugene-or.gov Contact Telephone Number: 541-682-7115 ISSUE STATEMENT The risk of wildfire has become an increasing concern. Eugene’s south hills present all the challenges associate with an urban wildland interface area: residential development intermingling with forested areas, steep slopes, and limited egress routes. BACKGROUND City Council allocated $200,000 on July 1, 2019, for fuels reduction work with a workforce development priority. In April, a Wildland Urban Interface Collaboration was started between Eugene Springfield Fire, City of Eugene Parks and Open Space, Northwest Youth Corp, and Oregon Department of Forestry to scope the project. The Southeast Hills Neighborhood Association was selected as the area for this pilot project. Partnerships were established with Oregon State University Extension, Cascade Raptor Center, 4J School District, and the nearby neighborhood association president. On May 4, 2019, a community informational meeting with a site visit (to one residential property with good defensible space and one that needed some work) was held to kick off the project. Contracts were signed with the Northwest Youth Corp and the Oregon Department of Forestry. The NWYC component of the project was twofold. First, an intern was hired to engage the public and coordinate outreach, education, and the fall boots-on-the-ground work. Second, the NWYC teams conducted the fuels reduction: cutting, thinning, chipping. The summer months focused on outreach and education. A community chipper weekend was held July 27 – 28, 2019, staffed by representatives from collaboration agencies. Individual property assessments began in earnest in August. Criteria was developed to prioritize the work to be conducted by NWYC teams. Considerations included primary egress routes, number of interested properties in the vicinity, ties in to any other mitigation work in the area, needs of the property, benefit to be gained, etc. As summer turned to fall and fire season in Oregon came to an end, crews were ready to get to work. Oregon Department of Forestry provided training to the NWYC crews and came in to assist on properties with more complex prescriptions. City of Eugene Parks and Open Space provided the chipper and crews to assist and guide some work on public property and natural areas.