Oregon’s wildfire risk is increasing as fire and forest officials express concern over changing conditions.
The fire season for the Oregon Department of Forestry’s South Cascade and Western Lane Districts kicked off on June 9, with the fire danger level classified as “moderate” (blue), with the Industrial Fire Precaution Level set to I (one).
Under the moderate fire danger classification, several restrictions are in place:
• Debris burning, including burn piles and barrels, is prohibited unless permitted by a local forester.
• The use of exploding targets, tracer ammunition, and any bullets with pyrotechnic charges is banned.
• Smoking is not allowed while traveling through or working in operational areas.
• Spark-emitting equipment, such as power saws and mowers, cannot be used between 1-8 p.m., particularly in areas with dried grass.
Rep. Val Hoyle and Sen. Ron Wyden recently met with fire and forest officials in Springfield to discuss the severe fire danger in Southern Oregon, which officials say is exacerbated by above-average temperatures and below-average precipitation.
Earlier this year, optimism surrounded the fire season due to higher-than-normal snowpack and rainfall. However, a decline in spring rainfall coupled with rising temperatures has heightened wildfire susceptibility.
“The threat is real again, starting in 2020 … had those winds kept up, that fire would have jumped the ridges and come into Springfield and South Eugene,” Hoyle said. “People need to have to-go bags packed. People need to be prepared. People need to be paying attention.”
Hoyle and Wyden raised concerns about the federal government’s cuts to weather services, which affect critical data, including weather balloons and flash droughts.
Wyden is concerned that the availability of firefighters may be impacted by national competition for firefighting resources during potentially challenging fire seasons.
“I’m concerned that we’re not going to have enough firefighters at the right time … because we’re gonna have a lot of hurricanes and bad weather in the east, and we heard that might affect the pool of people that we’ll have,” Wyden said.
Travis Medina, chief deputy with the State Fire Marshal’s office, provided additional context during the briefing. He noted that in 2024, Oregon’s fire departments responded to 17 conflagrations across the state and had 27 additional responses that required the mobilization of local firefighters to protect other communities.
The 2025 fire season is expected to be warm and dry, with longer periods of high fire danger due to several causes, according to fire officials.
• Temperatures have been at or above average since 2012
• Projections from NOAA and other meteorological sources suggest a warmer and drier summer than typical
• There’s potential for longer periods of elevated fire danger
The risk of large, costly fires is high
The Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) emphasizes the importance of wildfire prevention, urging residents to remain vigilant. Fewer human-caused fires can ease the strain on district resources.
Various ODF districts across the state have declared the start of fire season, including.
As weather forecasts predict a hotter and drier summer, ODF reiterates the need for public awareness regarding local fire restrictions, which may vary by area. Staying informed can help prevent the risk of wildfires and protect Oregon’s landscapes.
