Polk County Community Wildfire Protection Plan
SW Polk Fire District, with support from a grant provided by the Oregon State Fire Marshal (OSFM), has contracted SWCA Environmental Consultants to develop the 2025 Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP). This project is coordinated through the Polk County Fire Defense Board, which consists of all fire service agencies in the county and plays a vital role in the CWPP by overseeing wildfire preparedness, response, and mitigation efforts among local agencies, landowners, and emergency services. The board helps identify high-risk areas, develop fuel reduction strategies, and ensure effective resource allocation to protect communities from wildfire threats.
A CWPP is designed to identify and mitigate wildfire hazards to communities and infrastructure within the wildland-urban interface (WUI)—the transition zone between wildland areas and human development. The plan provides recommendations for hazardous fuel reduction, public outreach and education, structural ignitability reduction, and enhancements to fire response capabilities.
In 2009, Polk County completed its first CWPP. The development of the County CWPP has facilitated collaboration among local, state, federal officials, and tribes, as well as non-governmental stakeholders and private citizens. The 2025 Polk County CWPP reviews, verifies, and identifies potential new priority areas where mitigation measures are needed to protect irreplaceable life, property, and critical infrastructure in the County, from wildfire.
Through this CWPP effort, Polk County and partners have formed a Committee aimed at planning and implementing successful wildfire mitigation actions, including hazardous fuel treatment projects on public and private land; organizing public outreach and education; and better preparing communities that are at high to extreme risk of wildfire by utilizing the Fire Adapted Community concepts. Much of this work will be achieved through interagency collaboration, working with communities and across ownership boundaries to develop landscape-level wildfire mitigation solutions.
This Committee is continuing to work together to review and revise the original CWPP to ensure the plan is applicable to the communities it is designed to serve. The goal is that all recommended projects are designed to greatly reduce wildfire risk to residents and ensure that communities can live safely in this fire-prone environment.
Now it is time to review, revise, and refocus previously proposed implementation measures to ensure that the Polk County CWPP remains active and effective. Additionally, we want to hear from you to understand how Polk County can better plan and prepare for potential wildfires in your community. We kindly ask you to complete this brief survey: https://arcg.is/1WHqTC0. This fall, the public will be invited to provide feedback on the Draft Plan.
The CWPP will be a guide for fire and emergency managers, as well as agencies who manage land within Polk County. The CWPP is designed to serve County residents, and we encourage your interest and engagement in the process. For more information, please contact Dean Bender, Polk County Emergency Management at bender.dean@co.polk.or.us, Matt Cook Project Manager, at matthew.cook@swca.com or Lexi Roberts, Assistant Project Manager at lexi.roberts@swca.com.
