Bill > HB3123

This bill establishes a new wildfire risk and impact reduction initiative program through the State Department of Agriculture, designed to award grants to local stakeholders for managing wildfire risks in Oregon's rangelands. The program aims to strategically prevent, suppress, and restore areas affected by wildfires, with a specific focus on "megafires" (fires burning over 100,000 acres). The initiative will employ a science-based approach that involves federal and state agencies, nongovernmental stakeholders, and local landowners, with an emphasis on proactive landscape management. The program will prioritize strategic prefire planning, defending fire-resilient rangeland areas, and rehabilitating burned lands by focusing on areas that have historically resisted invasive annual grasses. The department may consult with Oregon State University, federal agencies, research centers, and other experts to develop the program and may establish grant eligibility criteria through rule-making. To support this initiative, the bill appropriates $500,000 from the General Fund for the 2025-2027 biennium, providing initial funding to launch the wildfire risk reduction program.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2025R1/Measures/Overview/HB3123