It’s easy to believe the drippy forest of the Northwest won’t burn. They do!
A Corridor of Collaboration.
Who We Are.
The Mt. Hood Corridor Wildfire Partnership is a collection of Federal, State, and County agencies along with permitted ski areas, infrastructure partners, Community Planning Organizations (CPO’s)and Homeowner Associations (HOA’s) that live, work and play in the Mt. Hood Corridor who want to be better prepared, more resilient, informed and organized when a wildfire incident occurs in this area..
Our Partners.
Hoodland Fire District #74
Clackamas Fire District #1
Oregon Dept. of Forestry
Clackamas County Sheriff
Oregon State Fire Marshal
Clackamas County Disaster Management
Oregon Department of Transportation
Mt. Hood National Forest
Oregon State Police
Oregon State University
Portland Water Bureau
Rhododendron Water Association
Oregon Trail School District
Timberline Rim HOA
Government Camp CPO
Summer Homes HOA
Rhododendron CPO
Bull Run Comm Assoc CPO
Hoodland CPO
Firwood CPO
Zigzag Village HOA
Wapanitia HOA
Mt. Hood Skibowl
RLK/Timberline
Vacasa
Our Story.
The Partnership formed as a direct response to the Labor Day Fires of 2020, specifically to the eight day Public Safety Power Shutoff, which maybe have been the only reason the drainage did not burn that summer, but which left residents without communications as the backup batteries for the cell towers died after three days – the second shutdown in two years!
The length of the shutdown and the resident’s inability to get any status updates prompted the start of an informal wildfire partnership in 2022. The Partnership recognized both the gravity of the fuels and communications situations and the opportunity to become proactive and capitalize on local interest before conditions worsen.
In spring 2022, the Zigzag Ranger District of the Mt. Hood National Forest and Hoodland Fire began discussions with the Community Mitigation Assistance Team (CMAT) about whether a team would be the appropriate tool for the budding Wildfire Partnership. The formal request was initiated and specifically requested the following: Support for the partnership; sharing of wildfire mitigation best practices; support for developing input to inform the Clackamas County CWPP; support for the USFS fuels mitigation strategy; engagement of and guidance to residents; a review of existing programs and plans, and the development of a Mitigation Action Plan that outlines next steps and recommendations.
In the Spring of 2023 the Oregon State Fire Marshal made a strategic investment in the Partnership and provided funding the undertake a number of initiative that would not only benefit the Hwy 26 corridor, but the rest of Clackamas County as well.
The investment included funds for public outreach and education events, for home structure vulnerability assessments, for an interagency database to inventory and plan fuels reduction projects, for assisting the public with the removal of flammable woody debris, and experiments using an air curtain burner as a clean alternative to open burning.
