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Crook County commissioners approve letter pressing state to fix wildfire‑risk map
Summary
The Crook County Board approved sending a letter to Oregon State University and the Association of Oregon Counties asking for corrections to the statewide wildfire‑risk map, citing inconsistent parcel classifications, limited notice to property owners and a burdensome appeal process.
The Crook County Board of Commissioners voted to send a formal letter to Oregon State University staff and the Association of Oregon Counties asking the state to reconsider and correct aspects of the new statewide wildfire‑risk map. County officials said the map contains local inconsistencies, offers little pre‑publication notice to affected landowners and imposes a difficult appeal path.
County staff described examples where adjacent parcels received markedly different risk scores — citing lots in Brussada Ranch and Juniper Canyon — and said some areas widely understood locally to be at high risk, such as portions of Juniper Canyon, were classified only as moderate risk. A county official said the map appears to rely on an algorithm and possibly outdated aerial imagery rather than field verification.
"Property owners who are in the high risk and wildland‑urban interface have not been notified yet," a county official said, adding that appeals are available only after the map is final and require going before an administrative law judge. The official said there is no routine path to request reclassification for several years after the initial 60‑day appeal window closes.
Commissioners said those procedural limitations matter because the map triggers higher building standards and defensible‑space requirements that can raise construction costs and affect land use. One commissioner urged the county to press state legislators and the governor's office; staff said the board would cc the governor and state legislators in the correspondence.
The board voted unanimously to approve the letter and to authorize county staff to send it to OSU and AOC and to seek an in‑person meeting with OSU staff to review local concerns.
County staff said they will also email state senators and representatives to highlight issues not emphasized in the letter, including how state and federal lands are treated in the mapping process and the lack of consideration for certain public lands.
The action directs staff to pursue further engagement with OSU and the Association of Oregon Counties and to seek legislative attention if the map moves forward without revisions.
