Bill would clarify state authority to respond to fires on federal land; ODF says planning and cost recovery shape decisions

Senate Bill 432 would require certain foresters and forest protection agencies to participate in fire management and response planning for fires that originate on lands managed by the U.S. Forest Service and would allow response activity where fires originate on U.S. Forest Service lands.

Senator Floyd Prozanski and Senator Fred Gerard described fires in recent years that began on federal lands and grew into destructive blazes on adjacent private and state-protected lands. Gerard cited the Beachie Creek and Lionshead fires and the devastation that followed in some communities. Sponsors said the bill is intended to give the state more flexibility to act early to protect private property and communities when federal fires threaten state responsibilities.

Tim Holzbach, interim deputy state forester at the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF), testified informationally that ODF currently operates under a master cooperative wildfire management agreement and Stafford Act response arrangements that allow the department to take independent action on federal land if a fire is deemed a threat to the department's protection jurisdiction. Holzbach said when ODF independently initiates action on federal land, the state assumes financial responsibility for that work; ordinarily, when ODF responds at the request of federal partners, federal agencies reimburse the department after the season.

Committee members asked whether statutory change would alter day-to-day operations; Holzbach said the bill emphasizes planning and integration and could imply a stronger commitment to pre-season planning and local operational agreements. He said coordination and firefighter safety (particularly to deconflict aircraft and operations) remain central to any response and that ODF prioritizes protection of private lands and the department's protection responsibilities.

Senators pressed whether a permissive bill would have practical effects given existing authorities; Holzbach described that the bill's planning emphasis may create different expectations and commitments in integrated federal-state response plans. The committee took informational testimony and did not record a vote in the transcript.

Ending

The hearing highlighted tensions between federal operational timelines and state officials' desire to limit large fires that threaten private lands. ODF said it already cooperates regionally with federal partners and that independent state action on federal lands carries financial responsibility. Sponsors said they sought greater clarity and pre-season agreements to avoid large, costly fires; the committee asked for further conversation with agency staff.