The Oregon Department of Forestry is contemplating a boundary shift that would affect which lots in Central Oregon receive wildland fire protection from the agency.
The department is holding a public hearing in Redmond on Monday regarding proposed changes to its Forest Protection District Boundary in Deschutes and Jefferson counties. The proposed changes would better align district boundaries with urban growth boundaries in Bend and other Central Oregon cities, which have grown significantly over the past few decades without prompting a change from ODF, according to Gordon Foster, Prineville-Sisters unit forester for the agency.
As a result, Foster said a number of lots pay for fire protection from the agency while being within the city of Bend’s urban growth boundary.
“In time, the growth of the city has encroached on the forest,” Foster said.