Wildfire Recovery

If you signed a Right of Entry form for Step 2: Ash and Debris Removal, here's what the state is doing in regards to hazardous trees on private property:

• The Wildfire Debris Removal Task Force has hired contractors to complete this work starting in January 2021 but the property owner must first complete a private property debris removal questionnaire. See Q3 below.

• Property owners will be contacted by state contractors before work is done on trees on developed private property.

• A professional arborist will assess trees near homes and businesses to determine if they pose a safety threat to cleanup crews working to remove ash and debris in the area.

• Contractors will only cut down hazard trees that pose a danger, such as a tree leaning over the burned down area of a home.

• Trees on undeveloped private property or that is away from the destroyed home or business is the responsibility of the property owner. They will not be included in the state cleanup process.

• The state will cut felled trees into smaller, manageable log segments and pile them for property owners on their land. Any slash from felled logs, like branches, leaves and needles will be chipped and spread on the property for erosion control.

• The state will not haul away any felled trees or log segments from private property. Owners can decide what they would like to do with the log segments.

Source: Oregon Debris Management Taskforce, 2020

Answer

1. The State of Oregon and its contractors will not be removing trees from private property. Please see Q2 for details regarding the process for felling and processing trees on private property.

2. Watch for a letter from the state with your unique property identifying number.

3. After receiving the letter, complete a private property debris removal questionnaire online (available in multiple languages) at https://wildfire.oregon.gov/cleanup or by calling the hotline at 503-934-1700. You will need your property identifying number to complete the questionnaire.
   

4. If you complete the property information form, hazardous trees that pose a threat to the cleanup efforts or public right of way will be marked with geo located barcodes and identified to be cut down.

5. If you do not wish to participate in the state-managed cleanup process, you can ask to be removed from the program by calling the Wildfire Debris Cleanup line at 503-934-1700.

6. If you choose to do the cleanup yourself, go to wildfire.oregon.gov for important information on legal requirements and guidelines for safe cleanup.
   

Pacific Power service area: Lyons/Mehama, Mill City, Gates, Niagara.

Consumer's Power service area: North side of Hwy. 22 in the Lyons/Mill City area and up the North Fork Road to the community of Elkhorn, as well as all of Detroit, Idanha and Marion Forks.

• Power company crews from both CPI and Pacific Power are working to cut down trees that create a hazard to power poles and lines throughout the Santiam Canyon.
• Property owners may be contacted by a power company representative to discuss hazard trees on their property.

CPI: Questions? Call 1-800-872-9036 or visit www.cpi.coop/news/cpi-dead-tree-removal-program 

Pacific Power: Questions? Call 1-888-221-7070.

• CPI crews are in the process of identifying dead or dying trees and cutting them down. Most work at this time is being done on forest service/BLM and private timberland. CPI crews will circle back to work on trees on private property. This will be a several month long process. Pacific Power crews are currently working on both private properties and ODOT right-of-way. Inspectors are notifying private property owners ahead of time.
• If CPI identifies trees on private property that need to be taken down, property owners will be notified prior to the work being done and the trees will be marked with either a red slash mark or a green dot.
• Pacific Power is identifying trees that need to be taken down with an orange dot prior to having their contractors do the work.
• Residents of the impacted areas may experience outages as lines are de-energized in order to safely cut down hazard trees. Whenever possible, these outages will be scheduled in advance and minimized as much as possible.
• Both power companies are strategically working with state contractors who are also identifying hazard trees. This includes identifying trees better suited for specialty power line trimmers employed by the power companies. 
  

Trees will not be removed by state contractors from private property; however, incurrence of cost for felling hazardous trees on private property will be determined on a case-by-case basis. Your trees may be covered by Step 2 assistance if the tree(s) are a threat to life, public health or safety. In addition, if trees have been identified by a power company as a threat to power lines or poles, the appropriate power company will assume the cost to cut down those trees and property owners will not be responsible.

If trees on your property are not a threat to the safety of cleanup crews or the public right of way, you will be responsible for the cost to fell and remove them. This also includes trees on undeveloped private property or trees that are away from the destroyed home or business. These trees are not included in the state's Step 2 Ash and Debris Removal process.