The Oregon Department of Forestry is proposing to raise the cost of fire protection for private landowners in its Central Oregon District in a move some local ranchers say would be too costly for them.

In the current fiscal year, landowner protection rates for the ODF Central Oregon District are $2.21 per acre for timber and 74 cents per acre for grazing land. The proposed rates for fiscal year 2024 would raise the costs for timber by 37% to $3.03 per acre and by 87% for grazing land to $1.38 per acre.

ODF officials say the hike stems from the need to comply with Oregon legislation. Senate Bill 762, after a review of the major 2020 wildfires in the western part of the state, called for an “increase in overall wildfire response capacity.”

The state subsidized the cost of that increased capacity for fiscal years 2022 and 2023 with a $15 million budget offset from the state’s general fund. The funds allowed the department to hire 85 employees, including approximately 35 seasonal firefighters, and buy new equipment without passing the entire cost to landowners.

ODF’s fiscal year 2024 budget proposal included legislative compliance for increased capacity costs from SB 762, but did not include continuation of the budget offset.

“Our fire seasons are becoming longer and more complex, and ODF has been asking for quite some time for more capacity,” said Allison Rayburn, unit forester in John Day for the agency. “Through SB 762, that had become a requirement.”

The Oregon Board of Forestry is expected to review the proposed budget, hear any appeals from landowners, make any changes in the budget consistent with the law, and approve all budgets and acreage rates at meetings on June 7 and 8 in Sisters. Acreage rates for 2024 will be reflected in “forest patrol assessment” amounts on November 2024 property tax statements, according to ODF.

Izee rancher M.T. Anderson, who owns High Desert Cattle Co., sits on the ODF budget committee for the Central Oregon District. He said his committee recently unanimously voted down the proposed budget.

“In my mind, we have a broken system, because it’s not fair, equitable or right to saddle private landowners with having to backfill these budgets,” Anderson said. “They’re just pushing it on to us.”

Meredith and Roger Ediger, who own the Box T Ranch in Mt. Vernon, say they pay the annual assessment for ODF protection.

“We don’t get to vote on these assessments,” Meredith Ediger said. “We know ODF has more expenses, but so do we. By continuing to assess ranchers, a lot of ranchers aren’t going to be able to handle it and they’re going to have to find another way to be able to pay the continued assessment. They keep putting this on us, and we have no say over that.”

Pat and Ken Holliday own the Holliday Land & Livestock Inc. ranch between John Day and Prairie City, along with a second location in Bear Valley. As a business owner, Pat Holliday said, she’s very aware of increased costs related to fuel, personnel and fertilizer. She said she submitted comments in opposition to the proposed rate hike.

“I appreciate the ODF John Day field office, and my comments are in no way reflective of any personality there. They’re just reflective of the policy,” she said. “I’m opposed to this increase because basically I can’t afford it. I have no way to recoup the extra expenses that we pay the Oregon Department of Forestry.”

Mark Webb, executive director of Blue Mountain Forest Partners, a stakeholders group that includes loggers, environmentalists, ranchers, landowners, timber industry representatives, elected government officials and federal land managers, said the proposed rate rise would mean a “pretty significant bump in costs.”

“I think for people who actually derive a living from their land, I think it will certainly impact their profit margins and make them smaller,” Webb said.

Anderson said he thinks the ODF should institute a flat rate per acre instead of the current system.

“It needs to be a flat rate, like 30 cents per acre,” Anderson said. “I think ODF does a good job, and I appreciate them putting fires out on private land. The people we deal with are good people and are good at their job. However, this is bigger than that. It’s a state problem. It’s not just a Grant County problem, and they need to review how budgeting is handled by ODF in the future.”

Landowners in ODF’s Central Oregon District were able to provide comment at a public hearing on May 2 in Prineville. In addition to testimony at the hearing, any owner adversely affected by the proposed budget may file an appeal with the state forester within 30 days of the May 2 meeting for review at the State Board of Forestry meeting at Sisters in June.

“As an ODF employee, I agree with the need for added capacity,” Rayburn said. “These wildfire seasons are getting longer and more complex. However, we want input from our customers, the landowners.”

Rep. Mark Owens, R-Crane, said he has talked about the situation with former Baker County Commissioner Mark Bennett, State Sen. Lynn Findley, R-Vale, and State Sen. Jeff Golden, D-Ashland. Owens said “there was the potential conclusion” that the $15 million offset could continue.

“I was surprised when that funding did not show up in the governor’s budget, so I’ve been actively working on an appropriate way to get that funding,” he said.

Owens said Golden aims to present fixes for Senate Bill 762 through another measure, SB 80.

“The original (SB 80) bill did not have it, but my understanding is he is going to propose an amendment to put back the $15 million that would replace the offset that’s needed.” Owens said.

“Part of that amendment is we would work as a group to look for how we deal with fire (protection) funding completely,” he said. “Our fire funding is broken in the state. This is one example of it, and we need to come up with legislation to figure this out for the long term.”