Oregon Department of Forestry outlines HB 3940 changes, equipment transfers and new burn tools for Harney County

Mark Desjardins, filling in for the John Day unit forester for the Oregon Department of Forestry, told Harney County Court on July 16 that recent state legislation and administrative changes should reduce many landowners’ fire protection assessments and speed local wildfire-prevention work.

"There was a myriad of bills that went through that had impacts to ODF," Desjardins said, adding that one bill in particular, House Bill 3940, altered the landscape resiliency program and shifted some administrative costs off landowner assessments and onto the state general fund. He said the changes are expected to reduce landowner rates for at least the next three years.

Desjardins said the legislation also clarified how ODF can transfer aged equipment. Historically, federal excess property and policy limits made passing surplus items to Rural Fire Protection Associations (RFPAs) cumbersome. "Now we should be able to give any of our excess or kind of equipment that's aged out for ODF, over to, the RFPA so that they can use that for firefighting on their side of things," he said.

He showed county court members maps of the John Day unit protection boundary and explained the operational difference between ODF protection districts and RFPA coverage. Desjardins emphasized that dispatch sends the closest resources when smoke is reported, regardless of land ownership, but that ODF will handle investigation and closeout paperwork on private lands inside its protection boundary.

Desjardins also described program changes intended to expand prescribed burning on private land. A new certified burn manager process and a prescribed burning liability fund aim to lower private landowners’ legal and financial risk when they use prescribed fire and follow state requirements. He said details remain less clear for RFPA ground because the rules tie closely to permit authority and jurisdiction.

Desjardins recommended that county leaders reengage with ODF staff as new classification reviews are scheduled, and he offered to share digital map files with the county emergency manager to support local planning.

County officials said they appreciated the briefing and asked ODF to leave the maps for local emergency planning and to follow up on questions about RFPA funding and burn-permit clarity.

Ending: Desjardins left the court with offers to provide additional maps and to assist when the unit forester returns from air-attack assignments; court members said they would route the materials to local emergency management and RFPA coordinators for follow-up.