SOUTHWEST APRIL 12

OREGON COMPANY NAME Authored by: Your Name DISTRICT ANNUAL REPORT 2020

M E S S A G E F R O M T H E D I S T R I C T F O R E S T E R

Without a doubt, 2020 will go down in the history books as one of the most difficult and challenging years for Southwest Oregon District and the entire Oregon Department of Forestry. Right at the beginning of 2020, we were faced with addressing a global pandemic: COVID-19. This was uncharted territory for us all and required a coordinated and strategic response from everyone. Plans were developed to reduce exposure and transmission; offices were closed to the public and the means of how we deliver training were altered. I can say that these preparations paid off and were paramount to our successes, as we did Dave Larson not experience an outbreak of COVID-19 on a SWO incident.

“I am so proud of the men and women who work for this district, who, no matter how difficult the situation, rose to the challenge.”

As if dealing with a pandemic was not enough, the unseasonably dry and warm fall and winter brought about severe drought conditions. By the middle of April, the district was already experiencing fuels conditions that we would typically experience mid-July. The first significant fire of the year started on April 20; the Shangrila Lane Fire burned nearly 20 acres and required the assistance of multiple helicopters to suppress it. Because folks were staying home due to COVID, we saw an increase in escaped debris burns that necessitated the district to implement fire season on May 1. This was the earliest start to fire season since 1988. Weather conditions did moderate some during the first part of June, which allowed for us to focus on training and prevention. The Shangrila Lane Fire Training was much different due to the COVID protocols and generated a large amount of media and public interest. SWO District, in coordination with ODF Salem Public Affairs, used this as an opportunity to educate the public about fire prevention and how we prepare for fire season. Oregon Public Broadcasting did a feature story that showcased our training efforts and how we as an agency focused on mitigating the risk of COVID-19 for the fire season.

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The remainder of June and most of July was uneventful, more typical of a “average” fire season for SWO. However, the weather was hot and dry, and the last measurable rain fell on the district on June 19. We would not see any rain for the next 113 days! On July 30, the Worthington Fire started just east of Eagle Point. Fortunately, at the time of this fire, resources were plentiful across Oregon, and we were able to quickly contain the fire at 761 acres by the next morning. We entered August under “extreme” fire danger, and throughout the month, experienced increasing initial attack. I/A was very effective with 45 fires and only 9.81 acres burned during this time. Visibility at times was limited, creating challenges for our camera detection due to the smoke that was blowing into the Rogue Valley from the California wildfires. Going into September, the fire season was shaping up to The Worthington Fire be below average- but that was about to change. We started to see indications of a significant weather pattern shaping up as we went into the Labor Day weekend. Weather forecast models were beginning to show the development of a sustained east wind event at a severity only seen once every 20-30 years. In anticipation of the event, days off were canceled, additional outside district resources were prepositioned and fire managers across all agencies were communicating multiple times daily. On the Friday before Labor Day, the Grizzly Creek Fire was reported just east of Howard Prairie Lake and under the extreme conditions, the fire was rapidly developing into a potential project fire. The district immediately responded with a coordinated and aggressive attack of the fire. By early the next morning, it had been stopped at under 350 acres. With the east winds coming, our plan was to dig in and secure as much fire line as possible.

Tanker 60 drops retardant on the Almeda Fire 2

In the early morning hours of September 8, the dry east winds arrived. By 1 a.m., the humidity had fallen to 12% in Medford, winds were sustained at 25 miles per hour and would increase to 45 miles per hour by 10 a.m. The district was busy with initial attack all morning and was keeping up containing the new starts. Shortly after 11 a.m., the Almeda Fire was reported and ODF responded with a full response, assisting the local fire departments. Under these conditions, the fire quickly grew and began to advance on the towns of Talent and Phoenix. Later in the afternoon, the South Obenchain Fire was reported, and quickly exploded to 1,000 acres in the first 15 minutes. A request was made to order an Incident Management Team for this fire, but we knew that the district would be on its own for the next 48-72 hours. Firefighting resources were in extremely short supply due to a multitude of fires from Washington to California. Almost the entire west side of Oregon was experiencing massive wildfires. As the day wore on, another fire approached the District form California. The Slater Fire was rapidly burning into Oregon and was threatening the entire Illinois Valley. By nightfall on September 8, SWO was dealing with four project fires that were threatening nine different communities across the district. Firefighting The South Obenchain Fire resources were mobilized in coordination with the Rogue Valley Fire Chiefs, U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and ODF. It would take almost two weeks to bring the blazes under control and the fall rains to finally suppress the fires. Looking back, for those who lived through the 2020 fire season, it will forever be ingrained in their memories. I am so proud of the men and women who work for this district, who, no matter how difficult the situation, rose to the challenge. Throughout this chaotic time, there were no accidents or injuries to our staff. Their training, leadership, dedication and hard work was exemplified during the 2020 fire season. For that, I will be forever grateful.

Thank you for your continued support,

Dave Larson District Forester

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2 0 2 0 F I R E S E A S O N R E V I E W The 2020 Fire Season in Oregon proved to be the most destructive in recent history, claiming thousands of homes in the Labor Day fires that affected the entire state. In the Southwest Oregon District, the Almeda, South Obenchain and Slater Fires all started on September 8, stretching resources thin on both units. As the third longest fire season recorded on the district, our crews responded to 221 fires in 190 days, with 40,494 acres burned. Despite these heavy statistics, 97.3% of fires on the district were caught at 10 acres or less. A lack of rain combined with warmer temperatures in the spring prompted an earlier start to fires on the landscape; SWO firefighters responded to 57 fires from mid-February to late April. The first notable fire was the Shangrila Lane Fire on April 21; due to gusty winds, it grew to 18 acres on private land. Light rain in the forecast assisted crews in a quick mop-up, but it became clear conditions were rapidly shifting, as the long-range forecast called for above average temperatures, below average precipitation with extreme drought-like conditions. Following a multitude of escaped debris burn piles, the 2020 fire season was declared on May 1, a month early from the typical June 1 start on the Southwest Oregon District. This presented the district with an added challenge; public use restrictions were in place, and seasonal staff had not yet been hired. As a result, both unit brush crews were pulled off projects and assigned engines. In “low” fire danger, the call volume was manageable for a few weeks as seasonal firefighters were brought on. On the Medford unit, fire school began on May 26 and extended Fire School at the Medford Unit into early June with socially distant lessons outside, while the Grants Pass unit condensed the material into a week-long course to mitigate COVID-19 risks. Triple digit temperatures at the end of June prompted an increase into “moderate” fire danger. Call volume also began to surge at that time; from the beginning of June through mid-July, SWO firefighters stopped more than 50 fires at an acre or less. On July 17, the fire danger level was raised to “high,” and two days later, the Memorial Fire was reported in the hills east of Ashland. It rapidly grew to 61 acres; however, crews were able to halt its progress within two hours. A week and a half later, the Worthington Fire northeast of Eagle Point was sparked by lightning. With a red flag warning in effect, the fire was fueled by windy conditions and triple-digit temperatures, growing to more than 150 acres within the first two hours, and reaching 600 acres by the next morning. At that time, the district kicked into “extreme” fire danger. By utilizing aggressive tactics, local ODF, BLM and contracted resources were able to contain the Worthington Fire within two weeks at 761 acres.

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Through the month of August, SWO engines responded to another 50 fires, all but two under an acre. This included the Graves Creek Fire, caught at two acres thanks to repeated retardant drops by Tanker 60. On September 4, the Grizzly Creek Fire was reported on private property, one mile north of Howard Prairie Lake, a popular summertime camping area. Road closures and evacuations were immediately put into place, as the fire grew to 300 acres in the first three hours. Dozers worked overnight to line the fire, and mop-up work began. However, hot, dry weather conditions persisted, and an approaching east wind event, triggering red flag warnings across the region, brought with it a promise of explosive fire growth. In the early morning hours of September 8, relative humidity plummeted to nearly single digits, temperatures were forecasted to reach the 90’s and wind gusts began to push through the valley. In Northern California, the Slater Fire was reported in the Klamath National Forest around 6:45 a.m.; it would later burn into Oregon on more than 6,500 acres of ODF- protected land in Josephine County. By 11 a.m., the first start of the Almeda Fire, just north of Ashland, had been reported to Ashland Fire-Rescue. In its early stages, it was reported as a half-acre grass fire threatening two homes. Within 15 minutes of the fire’s start, SWO’s air attack plane spotted the smoke while returning from a recon mission. Even though ODF-protected land was not involved or threatened, additional air resources were ordered to assist on the fire, which was rapidly growing with the gusting winds. Additional structure resources from Greensprings Rural Fire District, Jackson County Fire Districts 3 and 5, Jacksonville Fire Department and Medford Fire-Rescue arrived, and ODF self- dispatched multiple engines as well. The Almeda Fire continued to spread north into Talent, burning through homes and businesses along Highway 99. Multiple other fire starts in the area were reported. SWO firefighters assisted in evacuations, in some cases transporting residents out of harm’s way in ODF pickups and engines. Interstate-5 was closed by the Oregon Department of Transportation at 1 p.m., and downed powerlines on rural roads created additional hazards to residents fleeing the fast-moving wildfire. Tanker 60 was ordered by SWO to make several retardant drops along I-5 over Talent and Phoenix. At 2 p.m., additional smoke was reported further along the greenway. By that time, the South Obenchain Fire, located on BLM land northeast of Eagle Point, had been reported. The remaining SWO resources were dispatched, uniting with Lake Creek and Butte Falls Fire engines on scene. The South Obenchain fire, largely wind-driven, was growing at an alarming rate, jumping roads and chasing out fire crews into the Worthington scar. Within 15 minutes,

The S. Obenchain Fire it had raged to 1,000 acres and was continuing to 5

intensify. Additional aircraft was ordered, and firefighters worked with law enforcement to begin evacuations, as multiple homes became threatened. Many residents refused to leave, creating additional challenges for crews trying to hold a line. As hours passed and the fire spread, embers carried by the wind caught nearby houses, starting structures on fire. With an increased need for evacuations, Butte Falls Highway was closed to regular traffic at 6:30 p.m. The entire town of Shady Cove was placed on a level two “be set” evacuation notice. Meanwhile at the Almeda Fire, ammunition rounds were going off at evacuated houses while firefighters and law enforcement continued to move through subdivisions and knocking on doors. The fire had progressed through Talent and into Phoenix, backing up all roads leading out. Both fires raged through the night; at 5:00 a.m. on September 9, an Oregon State Fire Marshal Team took command of the Almeda Fire, estimated to be 3,000 acres with thousands of structures lost overnight. The South Obenchain Fire had reached an estimated 8,000 acres with a 1,000-acre spot fire, growing to more than 20,000 acres around the 24-hour mark. With a drastic wind shift, the fire began pushing toward Shady Cove, resulting in the evacuation of the entire community of 5,000 residents. Additional fire starts continued to be reported around the valley, including a 2 acre fire in Central Point, not far from the Jackson County Expo, where Almeda Fire victims were being sheltered. SWO resources remained heavily engaged in the South Obenchain Fire until Northwest Incident Management Team 8 arrived on September 10. At that point, the Slater Fire had crossed the border into Oregon and onto ODF-protected land. Resources from the Grants Pass unit were assigned, and the California Interagency Management Team 10 was assigned to the fire, now more than 120,000 acres. The Devil Fire, just east of the Slater Fire, was detected at 500 acres. Both would grow in the following weeks to reach more than 157,000 acres. The Slater Fire Lives were lost in multiple fires on the Southwest Oregon District in 2020. Three people were killed in the Almeda fire, and two people lost their lives on the California side of the Slater Fire. Thousands of homes were destroyed between the Almeda and South Obenchain fires, along with countless businesses, outbuildings and vehicles. As numbers were solidified with GPS mapping, the Almeda Fire was declared to be more than 3,200 acres; only 22 were ODF-protected land. “Extreme” fire danger lasted into October, decreasing to “high” on October 9 for a short three days before dropping into “moderate.” Following three weeks of small weather systems bringing 6

periodic rain, fire season was officially declared over on Friday, November 6. Clean-up will last years following the devastation of the 2020 Fire Season, and a taskforce is dedicated to the efforts in Almeda’s wake. Despite the long road ahead, progress is being made, as these communities are working hard to come back even stronger than they were before.

Dates Fire Danger Level # of days May 1 – June 29 Low 59 June 29 – July 17 Moderate 18 July 17 – July 31 High 14 July 31 – October 9 Extreme 70 October 9 – October 12 High 3 October 12 – November 6 Moderate 26

D E T E C T I O N While the 2020 Fire Season started May 1, the Southwest Oregon Detection Center was not fully staffed until July 6. This fire season, the Detection Center added two new sites: Biebersdet Butte (Temporary Tower) and Dutchman Peak. With these additions, we increased our coverage to 13 sites with two cameras each, allowing for continuous monitoring while one camera is in live mode. The monitored detection system sites include Manzanita, Tallowbox, Sexton, Old Baldy, Peavine, Reuben, Little Grayback, Round Top, Tombstone, Soda Mountain, Dutchman, Biebersdet and White Point. SWO Detection has a total of five staff Detection Center Workstations, 2019 members, three of which maintain a constant scan and actively attempt to spot smoke or fires as small in size as possible. SWO Detection Center refined smoke reporting protocols and conducted the first ever regional training event for detection folks from Klamath District. The Southwest Oregon District experienced an extreme east wind event on September 8, 2020 that generated a high volume of fires and smoke reports within the district. From this event, SWO Detection provided live video stream coverage of the advancement of several devastating and deadly fires to responders, fire managers and emergency managers within Jackson and Josephine counties.

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Throughout the fire season, there was a total of 219 fires detected from the SWO Detection Center, 27 of which were reported prior to any other source, making it the fourth year that the system has exceeded the historical average of initial detections by manned lookouts. The emailed smoke report developed the S. Obenchain Fire September 8th, 2020 – From Biebersdet previous year was refined and expanded to additional ODF and other external fire managers throughout the southern Oregon region. This capability allowed dispatch centers to receive emailed smoke reports that also offered hyperlinks to view the live stream directly from the camera. The SWO Detection Center has been a positive addition to the Southwest Oregon District since first being added in 2009. The cameras continue to help the district with early fire detection and resource management, as well as provide monitoring to ongoing fires in the valley. Plans for adding additional cameras have been delayed due to both federal and state funding, but we were able to complete the installation of Dutchman and install a temporary tower for Biebersdet this season. The Biebersdet permanent tower foundation has been constructed and the permanent tower is scheduled to be constructed prior to June 2021. Onion Mountain has been awarded FEMA grant funding and the state-matched funds became available at the end of the season. Onion is expected to be installed and operational by June 2021 as well.

A V I A T I O N R E S P O N S E Southwest Oregon District’s Aviation Program was very successful again in 2020. Our dispatchers, aviation personnel, firefighters and fire managers alike were reminded of the value that these aircraft bring to our suppression efforts. We continued to build our aviation program by adding aviation management and initial attack capacity to the district with a committed five-day-per-week Air Attack Forest Officer, seven helitack positions- two of which were severity funded through WPA, and two detailer positions funded through the SFA protection training fund throughout the summer. This increased capacity was immediately utilized and proven invaluable throughout the season. The district had three exclusive use contracts with local Southern Oregon companies in 2020, operating “4MM” throughout the season; the first arrived on July 6, the last left on October 14.

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The first to arrive was the severity-funded Type 2, a Bell UH-1H++, based in Grants Pass. Owned and operated by Marble Mountain Helicopters from Myrtle Creek, its tail number is “4MM.” The second, “O3X” is a Cessna 206T fixed wing used for aerial detection and as an air attack platform. It was contracted to the district from Interstate Aviation “O3X” from Pullman, WA and based at the Medford AirTanker Base. Our third district exclusive use aircraft was a high-performance Type 3 helicopter, a MD902, “4AF,” provided by Brim Aviation; it was based at the Medford Unit Headquarters. Our district exclusive use Type 2, a Bell UH-1H++, “9PJ” operated by PJ Helicopters from Red Bluff, CA was the last to start on July 14. This helicopter was again based out of the Medford Unit Headquarters. In addition to our exclusive use contracts for aircraft, the Southwest Oregon District was also home base for two statewide severity aircraft that supplemented the efforts of the district’s initial attack ground and aerial resources, while being available to aid the rest of the state as needed. “4MM,” as mentioned above, was stationed at the Grants Pass Unit Headquarters. “Tanker 60,” the Erickson Aerotanker-owned and operated DC-7 was based out of the Medford Air Tanker Base (MATB) and finished its last year of exclusive-use service to the State of Oregon.

2020 AIRCRAFT STATS AT A GLANCE: 232 Aviation Resource Orders processed in 2020 Aircraft Missions Flown & Additional Info Days Assigned to Incidents 03X 41 missions flown, Herb Johnson performed as the ATGS 120 flight hours 4 Recon & 37 were Air Attack missions primary throughout the entire 2020 season 4AF 42 Missions, 76,000 gallons delivered and 171 86 flight hours 43 days assigned to incidents PAX transported.

9PJ 24 IA incidents flown, 166,000 gallons delivered 50 flight hours 40 days assigned to fires

4MM 19 IA’s, 3 IA’s for others Spent nearly 95% of time in SWO 60 flight hours district total TANKER 60 7 incidents in SWO throughout the 200,000 gallons of retardant 59 hours utilized season delivered across the state statewide

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In its third season, the district helitack crew had another great year. The program is a joint effort, comprised of three SWO District funded positions, two Wildfire Protection Act/severity- funded positions and two protection training funded detailer positions to allow for 7-day coverage on the District’s Type 3 & Type 2 helicopters. 2020 helitack accomplishments include:

Initial attacked 24 fires, including incidents for SWO, CALFIRE, CFPA and DFPA Completed 171 Passenger transports Spent 43 days assigned to incidents over the 72-day contract Completed 22 training actions or missions Completed 16 task books, opened nine, and renewed two The Medford helitack crew qualifications (HECM, HMGB, ABRO, HEBM, AOBS, HELCO, responds to a fire and ICT4 are the most common) Participated as cadre and students in ATGS and HELCO SIM trainings Lead as cadre & platform in four local S-271 course curriculums Assisted extended attack helibase operations at 10 helibases around the state, including deployments to John Day helitack booster, Madras, and Holiday Farm Managed over 15 additional helicopters for ODF over the course of the season and provided helicopter manager relief for other SOA severity ships A contracted helicopter gets ready for bucket drops Filled vital roles in our district suppression system as Engine Boss, Engine Crewmen/FFT1, Dozer Boss, Taskforce Leader, Aerial observer, ICT4, ICT5, ABRO, etc. The Medford AirTanker Base played an essential role in aiding the suppression efforts. The MATB directly supported seven SWO District incidents. Additionally, SWO received a much- needed hand from our local cooperators and their aircraft at various times this year. ODF Statewide Severity, DFPA, CAL FIRE and USFS aircraft were all MATB staff pose in front of “Tanker 60” instrumental in supplementing our initial attack and extended attack efforts and helped to catch several of our fires with potential. Our success on several fire lines were due in large part to the quick response of our cooperators willing to join the fight. 10

F I R E I N V E S T I G A T I O N Cause # of Fires Acres Burned In 2020, the district had six permanent qualified investigators: District Lightning 9 775 Forester Dave Larson, Medford Unit Forester Lee Winslow, Medford Unit Wildland Fire Railroad 1 .01 Supervisor Bill Smith, Medford Forest Equipment 87 88 Officers Jesse Blair and Mike Fillis, and Grants Pass Forest Officer Derrick Johnson. Recreation 17 2 Chuck Miller, a former SWO employee, Smoking 24 7 contracted with the district to provide an Debris Burn 27 3 additional resource. During an investigation, if the Arson 8 .78 responsible party is found to be willful, Juveniles 5 4 malicious, or negligent, or fails to make every reasonable effort to control and extinguish Miscellaneous 35 4 the fire, it is the district’s policy to recover Under Investigation 8 39,611 fire suppression costs. Several 2020 fires are in the process of cost collection through TOTAL 221 40,494 Salem; a settlement has been proposed for the Shangrila Lane Fire, located three miles north of Rogue River. The district was also able to settle the cost collection for the Gyda Lane Fire of 2019. The Labor Day Fires in September remain under investigation.

P R I V A T E F O R E S T S It was another busy year of transitions for the Private Forest Program. Technology presented many opportunities for the Stewardship Foresters to assist with the planning and implementation of tethered or cable assisted equipment, cutting, and yarding systems to allow operators higher production on steep ground with less human risk exposure. These systems are becoming more prevalent and the district will be adapting Cable yarding on the Southwest Oregon District the fire waiver guidelines to allow these systems to operate safely during fire season. 11

STATS AT A GLANCE: 2 0 2 0 I N S P E C T I O N S

ACTIVITY GRANTS MEDFORD SWO PASS 2019 2020 2019 2020 2019 2020 PRE 24 12 30 107 54 129 ACTIVE 90 116 68 160 158 276 POST 72 102 98 170 170 272 INACTIVE 31 29 12 96 43 135 PLANTING 2 10 4 22 6 32 FTG 5 7 12 SUBTOTAL 219 274 212 562 431 836 FIRE 49 78 106 172 155 250 SUBTOTAL 268 352 318 734 586 1086

The SWO District was able to support many non-industrial landowners in several grant programs, including Stewardship Plans, the ODF NRCS agreement, Post Fire Relief, funding from the American Forest Foundation for Forest Management Plans and Bark Beetle Mitigation. Due to staffing changes on the district, some responsibilities were shifted around to different positions, allowing the program to grow and additional employees to become involved. Following the devastating Labor Day fires, many landowners on the district were left with ashes where once was forestland. Our local district partnered with the Farm Service Agency to participate in the Emergency Forest Restoration Program (EFRP). The purpose of EFRP is to provide emergency funding relief to landowners to restore their forests after a fire. This includes debris removal, site prep, reforestation, and maintenance/release. The district has requested funding to help 16 landowners affected by the S. Obenchain Fire, which would impact 1,824 acres. The American Forest Foundation (AFF) grant was awarded to ODF through a subgrant agreement (originally given to AFF by NRCS) in 2019. SWO accepted 17% of the statewide funds from this program. To date, 18 basic forest management plans have been written to the non-commercial landowners with 12 of those being written this fiscal year. Overall, 2,359.5 acres will be treated, with 1,281 completed in 2020. These plans have helped to narrow search areas for future grant areas, as well as give shovel-ready projects for neighboring grants and funding. IFPL

STATS AT A GLANCE: AFF Forest Management Plan I II III IV Initial give of $117,846 5% Spent $92,679.72 24% 12 plans created in 2020. 18 for the duration of the grant Total 1,281 acres in 2020 54% 2,359.5 acres completed over the duration of the grant 17% 12

In 2020, the district used the NRCS agreement for four Conservation Implementation Strategy (CIS) project areas. Greensprings has been running for four years and has one year remaining in Jackson County. CIS projects in Williams and Takilma are in year two of five in Josephine County. The Taylor-Klondike post fire recovery CIS is wrapping up in 2021. During the year, ODF foresters were able to meet with several landowners to take inventories, develop prescriptions, and certify completed acres. Over 3,400 acres received prescriptions for NRCS treatment. The district provided 537 deliverables to the NRCS for inventory, layout, and certifications. Six landowners enrolled to have new stewardship management plans written by consultants. These landowners represent roughly 1,298 acres of forestland in the district that will have a long-term management plans for a variety of uses, such as commercial timber management, wildlife habitat, fuel reduction, stream restoration, and other forestland uses. The SWO District was also able to sign up 10 new landowners for bark 2020 logging operation beetle mitigation projects in 2020, for a total of 83 acres of treatment. The goal is for these treated acres to resist a future bark beetle outbreak or to mitigate an ongoing outbreak. These projects obligated roughly $31,125 to these landowners. Many thanks to all of our stakeholders for all of their communication and cooperation in protecting Oregon’s natural resources and providing for public safety. S M O K E M A N A G E M E N T The 2020 prescribed burning season was very similar to the last two seasons. With fire season stretching into November again, it’s an added challenged to get prescribed burning accomplished in the higher elevations before snow starts to fall. There were no smoke impacts to the Rogue Valley caused from prescribed burning on private or state lands.

2020 Accomplishments Units Acres Tons Private/State 168 10,087 74,108

Units Acres Tons 10 year Average Accomplishments 129 7,435 50,017

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G O O D N E I G H B O R A U T H O R I T Y The Southwest Oregon District takes part in Good Neighbor Authority (GNA) projects with our federal and local partners. In the past, some of the district’s GNA work has included administrating fuels reduction and restoration activities within the unit boundary’s older timber sales; this took place in the Butte Falls area and was made possible through KV Funds (Knutson-Vandenberg Act of 1930). In 2020, ODF staff contracted and administrated KV restoration activities within five units of two older timber sales, treating over 740 acres using local private contractors. Medford and Grants Pass ODF fuels crews also completed additional KV restoration activities in the Butte Falls area in 2020. In the Prospect area, the Medford ODF fuels crews assisted with restoration activities within two recreation sites burned during the 2017 Fire Season. These GNA activities included hazard tree falling, understory thinning, roadside brushing and chipping. This project work will continue into 2021.

S A F E T Y O N T H E D I S T R I C T & C O V I D – 1 9 Safety has always been taken very seriously on the district, however, 2020 brought challenges that required creative solutions at every level of service we provide. COVID-19 had made international headlines for a of couple months before the first recorded cases were identified in the U.S., prompting an unprecedented national lockdown. With fire season quickly approaching, the agency as a whole was tasked with creating procedures to protect permanent staff, seasonal firefighters and contract resources in a few short months. The district recognized the need for social distancing, and the opportunity to work from home was extended to staff. The district’s Safety Committee, which regularly meets monthly, took on the responsibility of disseminating COVID protocols to the Medford and Grants Pass unit offices. Added precautions included the The SWO Safety Committee meeting minutes of March 2020 installation of sinks and hand sanitizer stations around both compounds, and hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes were made available at 14

every workstation. Thanks to these precautions, the district was fortunate to make it through a typical Southwest Fire Season with no reports of a COVID-19 case. Aside from COVID, the Safety Committee also orchestrated annual earthquake and fire drills, reviewed accidents and injuries, provided helpful tips on topics such as winter driving and needed preparations, and discussed and implemented additional safety procedures at the district level. The Committee also performed a monthly walk-through of each office to identify potential risks and provide safe solutions. Every three months, the Committee brought OSHA through to confirm both offices were in compliance and maintaining the qualities of a safe workplace.

T R A I N I N G Due to COVID-19, training looked a little different in 2020. Fire School was held outside under our parking structure to provide for safe social distancing. Other classes were offered through Zoom. On the Medford unit, Fire School took place May 26-June 12; Grants Pass shortened the courses to one week with a total of 40 hours of instruction. Between both units, 107 task books were opened in 2020, and 86 were completed. Outdoor classrooms were necessary Interagency training was made more widely available through a new program requested to the Rogue Interagency Training Association (RITA) by the Rogue Valley Fire Chief’s Association: The Southern Oregon Wildfire School (SOWS). Engine operations and air operations were offered to more than 50 structural firefighters from our partner agencies across the region. Engine operations allowed the group to learn pump and roll tactics, pump operations, drafting and hoselay construction. The SWO helitack group and Medford Suppression Supervisor Taylor Wilkerson led the air training. This included four hours of classroom aviation familiarization and target description terminology, followed by four hours of live air-to- ground communication with Timberland’s type 3 helicopter. This allowed firefighters a training scenario to communicate to the helicopter pilot where they wanted bucket drops.

Fire School on the Medford Unit

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P R E V E N T I O N & P U B L I C O U T R E A C H During a regular year, Southwest Oregon District representatives actively take part in 10-20 annual events including open houses, community showcases, fire safety fairs, youth summer camps and Team Teaching school presentations. However, due to COVID-19, public events and demonstrations were severely diminished amid safety concerns. In February before the lockdown began, we were able to visit a few classrooms with Smokey Bear and talk with elementary-aged children through our Team Teaching program. SWO is looking forward to Team Teaching in February in the Grants Pass unit interacting with our community again when it is safe to do so.

F I R E W I S E C O M M U N I T I E S & G R A N T O P P O R T U N I T Y The state of Oregon ranks second in the nation for recognized Firewise sites. The Southwest Oregon District saw the most new Firewise communities in the entire state, adding 10 neighborhoods to the list in 2020. They include:

• Ashland – Glenn Vista Estates and Mill Pond Homeowners Association • Central Point – Jackson Oaks Neighborhood Association • Grants Pass – Birdseye Creek, Board Shanty, Hugo/Hidden Pine Drive and Woodson Drive • Jacksonville – Timber Ridge Homeowners Association • Shady Cove – Deerfield Park 1 and 2

Throughout the year, the district completed more than 300 home inspections, working with Firewise communities, identifying areas for improvement and providing funding when possible. Our crew completed 24 acres of home ignition zone wildfire hazard reduction work in Firewise USA sites, funded by a Title III grant. This work was done within existing Firewise USA sites, protecting 72 homes in Ashland and Firewise work in Josephine county 16

Jacksonville. In general, landowners receive a rebate of $500/acre of work done. In Jackson county, the Long Gold Western States Fire Managers (WSFM) grant in the Sam’s Valley area provided fire hazard reduction work on 26 acres, directly protecting 16 homes. In the Evans Galls WSFM grant focused in Rogue River and Wimer, 156 acres of similar work was planned, with 71.5 acres completed. These completed acres protect 45 homes. In Josephine county, the Wild Murphy Grant WSFM covering Wilderville, Wonder, Selma and Cave Junction helped to create 69 acres of defensible space. The Eagle Williams Grant Community Assistance grant provided fuels reduction on 96 acres in South Grants Pass, Murphy and Williams. Both of these Josephine county grants positively impacted more than 85 homes in the communities listed. The total risk reduction amount spent in Josephine county was $446,790.

F O R E S T L A N D C L A S S I F I C A T I O N Forestland Classification of Jackson and Josephine counties continued into 2020, as the district geared up to host a series of public meetings to finalize the process. Those meetings were held in February and March of 2021, with the order finalized in April, paving the way for the first accurate classification to be completed since the 1960’s. The district began this in-depth process in 2017, when the board was first created. The formal review covers all 1.8 million acres of ODF- protected land within the district boundary to classify the vegetation type as timberland (Class 1) or grazing land (Class 3). Property owners pay a Forest Patrol assessment to ODF for wildland fire protection; Class 1 lands are taxed at $2.50 per acre and Class 3 lands are $1.47 per acre. Smaller lots pay a minimum assessment of $18.75, and improved lots pay an additional $47.50 surcharge. The seven-member committee is comprised of SWO District Forester Dave Larson, who was appointed by the state forester; Mike Hussey, operations chief of Jackson County Fire District 3, who was appointed by the Oregon State Fire Marshal; Max Bennett, the OSU Extension forester for Jackson and Josephine counties, who was appointed by the director of the Oregon State University Extension Service; Jake Groves and Charlie Phenix, who were appointed by the Josephine County Board of Commissioners; and Marty Main and Randy White, who were appointed by the Jackson County Board of Commissioners.

Land was looked at in ¼ ¼ sections to reclassify tax lots 17

Before Forestland Classification ACRES Timber Grazing Exempt Timber Grazing Exempt

Jackson County 667,976 170,379 11,397 748,146 114,242 16,650

Josephine County 272,667 0 0 308,209 25,998 11,906

District Totals 940,643 170,379 11,397 1,056,355 140,240 28,556

After Forestland Classification ACRES Timber Grazing Exempt

Jackson County 748,146 114,242 16,650

Josephine County 308,209 25,998 11,906

District Totals 1,056,355 140,240 28,556

F A C I L I T I E S & P E R S O N N E L There were only a few personnel changes in 2020 for the SWO District. In the Central Point Unit, Bill Ostrander retired after 30 years of service with ODF on December 31, 2020. Bill was the Communications Systems Analyst 3 for ODF. He left big shoes to fill and will be missed. Troie Zuniga left ODF October 29, 2020 to fully retire and spend time with her family. She held the Administrative Specialist 1 Limited Duration (AS1 LD) position. SWO is currently recruiting for this position. In the Grant Pass Unit, Bonnie Dozier started as the temporary Office Specialist 2 (OS2) position on May 29, 2019 and became a permanent hire in the OS2 position on April 13, 2020. Kelly Foster transitioned from the Grants Pass Unit to the Central Point Unit as a Natural Resource Specialist 2 on January 7, 2020. Kelly Foster been with ODF for 17 years.

A S P E C I A L M I L I T A R Y T H A N K Y O U Southwest Oregon District would like to extend a special thank you to our active and retired military members, including Tobi Beavers and Connor Lane, who both served in Somalia during 2020. Tobi Beavers’ first day back 18

B O A R D O F D I R E C T O R S

PRESIDENT DIRECTORS ADVISORY DIRECTORS Greg Johnson Corey Copeland Greg Johnson Kristin Babbs Dave Erickson Susan Kendle Dan Quinones VICE PRESIDENT Ed Fallon Justin Kostick Dave Lorenz Dave Streeter Jacob Groves Mike Meredith David Schott Whitney Henneman Dave Streeter Natalie Simrell SECRETARY-TREASURER Charity Ireland Tom Young Kyle Williams Dave Erickson

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2020 ODF Southwest Oregon District Annual Report

2020 ODF Southwest Oregon District Annual Report 21