Analysis of policy recommendations by the Governor's Wildfire Response Council

White Paper
Written By Timothy Ingalsbee, Ph.D.
Oregon Governor Kate Brown addresses public about updates to the Wildfire Response Council.

Oregon Governor Kate Brown addresses public about updates to the Wildfire Response Council.

This analysis concentrates on the work of Oregon’s Fire Suppression Committee of the Governor's Wildfire Response Council (WRC), relying on draft policy recommendations issued on September 16, 2019

The Governor's Wildfire Response Council (WRC) had an ambitious agenda, and its members should be commended for their devoted public service. There are several progressive policy recommendations in the WRC document, including a call to:

• increase investments in fuels management

• develop sustainable land use practices within the Wildland/Urban Interface (WUI) zone

• update building codes to deal with ignition sources outside structures

• revise the scope and effectiveness of firefighting in planning.

But these progressive policies are subordinated to the main overriding goal of intensifying fire exclusion and expanding aggressive fire suppression across all lands in Oregon.


Timothy Ingalsbee, Ph.D.

Timothy is the Executive Director of Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics & Ecology (FUSEE). He started his fire career as a wildland firefighter for both the U.S. Forest Service and National Park Service, and is now a certified senior wildland fire ecologist. He earned his Ph.D. in environmental sociology with a graduate certificate in nonprofit management from the University of Oregon where he is also an adjunct Instructor and Faculty Research Associate. He was named Oregon's Conservationist of the Year in 1993. 

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