Several Consecutive Seasons of Wildfires Has Oregon Forestry Department Reeling

Three consecutive years of severe fire seasons has left the Oregon Department of Forestry in bad shape, according to a newly released audit by the Oregon Secretary of State' Office.

The fire seasons has left the department spending more time fighting fires than on its other programs and have "strained ODF personnel, who often work long hours away from home,," according to the audit.

As a result, workers are so focused on the literal fire at hand, they have had little time for the administrative work that needs to be done as well.

More fires, auditors concluded, means more administrative work, including preparing claims for cost reimbursement such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

But because of the amount of work that has built up, several claims have not been processed. Auditors concluded that of the 15-FEMA eligible fires over the past three years, cost reimbursements have been submitted for two - and only has been paid.

As a result, the department has had to borrow to finance fire-related costs.

Over the past three years, ODF has paid $1.5 million in interest on those loans.

Auditors found that staff are "feeling overworked and are experiencing stress and fatigue as a result of fire related work."

Despite this, they concluded there is no lack of commitment by workers to the job at hand.

"However, as staff devote more time to wildfire seasons, employees and agency leadership have expressed concerns about ODF’s ability to continue performing at current service levels," the audit found.

The audit also concluded that while the number of fires has increased, staffing has not.

"ODF is fighting more severe fires with about the same full-time equivalent employees it had nearly 20 years ago," it says.

Last year, there were approximately 2,500 fires across the state and about 1,100 - 44% - were on ODF-protected land. That fits in with the annual average - about 1,000 - that ODF responds to each year.

The audit concludes the department needs to do a lot more strategic, long-term planning as well as do a lot more to communicate challenges to the state legislature.

"ODF does not currently collect, analyze and communicate to the Legislature and its stakeholders the full impacts of fires on its programs and personnel," the audit found, "This information is necessary for ODF to adequately plan and manage its workforce to meet existing and future demands."

In his response to the audit, Doug Decker, the state forester - who is retiring this year - basically agrees with all of the recommendations from the auditor.

"We welcome and have embraced the audit process as yet another opportunity to review
and improve our practices and processes, and we are committed to incorporating these recommendations into planning processes where the real work forward will be implemented," Decker wrote.

Photo Oregon Department of Forestry