Wildfire and Wildfire Smoke Mitigation Planning

Updated October 24, 2023

THE MULTNOMAH COUNTY COMMUNITY WILDFIRE PROTECTION PLAN HAS BEEN UPDATED

The update to Multnomah County's Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) is complete as of August 3, 2023. The purpose of this plan is to create prioritized strategies to reduce the harm from future wildfires and wildfire smoke events to people, property, natural resources and infrastructure. This version of the plan updates a 2011 version, and involved the participation of organizations from throughout the county, including fire districts, state and federal agencies, city and county departments, power utilities, local and regional land management districts, and others.

Wildfire and wildfire smoke have become two of Multnomah County’s most pressing natural hazards. The risk from wildfire and wildfire smoke has been known for a long time, but responding to that risk has become much more urgent in the last decade due to warmer winters and longer summers that have reduced snowpack, lengthened fire seasons and impacted natural ecosystems. At the same time, Multnomah County has had significant population growth, with more community members living alongside wildfire risk areas, and more people vulnerable to the health effects of wildfire smoke.

Dangerous climate conditions have led to recent disasters that have been the worst seen locally in a century or more. The Eagle Creek Fire in 2017 burned nearly 50,000 acres in Eastern Multnomah County and Hood River County, destroying structures and requiring extensive evacuations. The 2020 Labor Day windstorm fanned fires across Oregon that blanketed Multnomah County in smoke and led to the worst air quality in the world for several days.

Update - The Multnomah County CWPP's first update was posted on October 24, 2023, to include additional stakeholders (Corbett Water District, West Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District) that have been performing ongoing wildfire mitigation work, and to identify specific mitigation actions that those stakeholders are pursuing. The plan was also updated to identify a specific adoption date, and to make some minor typographical corrections. Future updates will be cataloged on this page and in the plan, with a more extensive update process planned for early 2024.

2023 Multnomah County CWPP by Chapter/Section

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  Cover Page and Table of Contents (308.39 KB)
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  Executive Summary (168.62 KB)
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  Acknowledgements (538.72 KB)
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  Chapter 1 - Introduction (506.48 KB)
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  Chapter 2 - Community Profile (1.23 MB)
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  Chapter 3 - Plan Update Process (791.91 KB)
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  Chapter 4 - Plan Implementation and Maintenance (457.19 KB)
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  Chapter 5 - Wildfire (43.13 KB)
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    Section 5.1 - Wildfire Hazard Analysis (5.33 MB)
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    Section 5.2 - Wildfire Mitigation Topics (68.22 KB)
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      Subsection 5.2.1 - Organizational Collaboration (179.13 KB)
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      Subsection 5.2.2 - Data and Risk Assessment (887.13 KB)
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      Subsection 5.2.3 - Community Engagement and Resilience Building (648.37 KB)
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      Subsection 5.2.4 - Structural Ignitability (430.23 KB)
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      Subsection 5.2.5 - Land and Vegetation Management (599.22 KB)
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      Subsection 5.2.6 - Wildfire Prevention (258.53 KB)
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      Subsection 5.2.7 - Operational Coordination and Capacity (533.91 KB)
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    Section 5.3 - Fire Districts and Other Agencies (44.61 KB)
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      Subsection 5.3.1 - Cascade Locks Fire (570.14 KB)
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      Subsection 5.3.2 - Corbett Fire (964.03 KB)
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      Subsection 5.3.3 - Gresham Fire (Including Rural Fire Protection District 10 and Cities of Fairview, Troutdale, and Wood Village) (723.73 KB)
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      Subsection 5.3.4 - Lake Oswego Fire (including Riverdale Fire Protection District 11 and the Alto Park Water District) (675.75 KB)
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      Subsection 5.3.5 - City of Portland (885.1 KB)
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      Subsection 5.3.6 - Sauvie Island Fire (573.02 KB)
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      Subsection 5.3.7 - Scappoose Rural Fire Protection District (565.32 KB)
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      Subsection 5.3.8 - Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue (686.5 KB)
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      Subsection 5.3.9 - Multnomah County (244.65 KB)
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  Chapter 6 - Wildfire Smoke (295.77 KB)
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    Section 6.1 - Wildfire Smoke Introduction (295.77 KB)
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    Section 6.2 - Wildfire Smoke Process and Partners (71.97 KB)
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    Section 6.3 - Wildfire Smoke Risk Assessment (745.65 KB)
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    Section 6.4 - Wildfire Smoke Mitigation (136.46 KB)
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  Annex A - 2011 CWPP Actions (83.59 KB)
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  Annex B - Collected Resources (66.33 KB)

What is a Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP)?

A CWPP is a mitigation plan, and mitigation is work that happens before an event occurs, as compared to responding or recovering after a disaster. Agencies come together to identify risks and prioritize strategies to try to make future events less damaging. A CWPP does not have specific about how to respond to a fire or smoke event, but instead identifies the gaps in current planning and preparation.

The CWPP is also not a regulatory plan – it does not create new rules, but works within existing policies to create an action plan that can be successfully addressed through grants and inter-governmental coordination.

Wildfire Mitigation Resources

• Oregon Explorer - Wildfire Risk - Access a comprehensive collection of wildfire data and make custom maps and reports with the Wildfire Explorer tool. Access videos about making your home and property more wildfire proof.
• Northwest Interagency Coordination Center - Outlooks for upcoming fire risk, based on weather and moisture.
• National Fire Protection Association - Preparing Homes for Wildfire. Tips on protecting homes, defining the 'home ignition zone', and brochures in English and Spanish.
• Multnomah County Evacuation Levels Explained - Information about Ready! (Evacuation Level 1), Set! (Evacuation Level 2), and Go! (Evacuation Level 3). Tips on packing a Go Kit, and what to do in emergencies.
• Multnomah County Emergency Notifications - Sign up here for Public Alerts, which allows Emergency Management agencies to contact you by text, call, or email when emergencies occur.
• Firewise USA - A program for community members to join together to reduce the risk of wildfire in their neighborhoods.

Wildfire Smoke Mitigation Resources

• Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) - Air quality monitor data, updated hourly.
• Oregon Smoke Blog/Información sobre el humo de Oregon - Also from Oregon DEQ. More detailed information about wildfire smoke, in English and Spanish
• Smoke Sense App - Mobile app from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with local smoke information and health protection information.
• Multnomah County Smoke and Wildfire Preparation - Information about how to prepare for a smoke event.

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The 2011 Multnomah County CWPP remains available for reference purposes.

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  2011 Community Wildfire Protection Plan (36.43 MB)