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Rural fire-hazard law discussed next week Once rules are settled, landowners will have to reduce the risk By PAUL FATTIG Four informal meetings are planned next week to review a state law that will require rural landowners to reduce wildfire hazards adjacent their homes. The sessions on Senate Bill 360, known as the Oregon Forestland-Urban Interface Fire Protection Act of 1997, will begin with a presentation by a representative of the Oregon Department of Forestry. Sessions will be from 1 to 4 p.m. and from 7 to 10 p.m. Monday at the Jackson County Parks Auditorium, 200 Antelope Road, White City, and at the same times Tuesday at the Grants Pass City Council Chambers, 101 N.W. A St. No formal comments will be taken during the sessions, but they may be made during official hearings this spring. The goal of next week's meetings is to explain the process and give local residents an opportunity to ask questions, explained Jim Wolf, the ODF southwest district fire prevention planner. The bill does not require rural landowners to make radical changes on their land, he said. "It asks landowners to remove hazardous vegetation immediately around their home," Wolf said. "We're not asking people to clear 20 or 40 acres." Reducing the fire hazard on private land improves the chances of that home surviving during a wildfire while reducing taxpayers' costs of battling blazes, officials observe. "What we're hearing overall is that most people seem in agreement with what we're trying to accomplish," Wolf said. "The aspect of the bill that concerns most landowners is the incentive built into the bill." The bill allows the government to fine a landowner up to $100,000 if the work isn't done and a fire spreads as a result. However, public comment has already led to changes that address land-owners' liability concerns. Many Jackson County residents may already be in compliance with the regulations because of strict building requirements on interface lands. The county requires fuel breaks of 100 feet around new construction. Although the bill was passed by the Legislature in 1997, it doesn't go into effect until the administrative rules are completed. "Following this round of meetings, we'll go to the state Board of Forestry and start the formal administrative process," Wolf said, adding it likely will begin this spring. The goal is to have the rules in place by July, he said. Landowners wouldn't be held liable until two years after the rules are adopted. Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.