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Lane County is opening its application period for the Firewise Grant Incentive Program, which reimburses rural homeowners for yard work and home upgrades to make their home more defensible against wildfires. If you’re not eligible for the grant, the program manager says there are small, low-cost steps you can take to reduce risk.
It’s drying out in Oregon, and landscapes could be primed for significant fire activity this summer. And even though Eugene and Springfield are urban areas, neighborhoods — especially near the city limits — shouldn’t discount their wildfire risk.
A solution? People like Cammryne Anderson, a Lane County Land Management Division program manager, call it creating defensible space. That means preparing your home to withstand embers and reducing the chance of flames reaching the house. This can involve cutting back shrubs and tree limbs, as well as updating your home with fire-resistant materials.
It doesn’t guarantee a home will survive a wildfire, but it gives both people and property a better chance.
“The golden rule is, if you can help it, five feet of no vegetation surrounding the entire footprint of the house,” Anderson said. “Replacing bark chips with gravel and fire-resistant materials, updating siding.”
And the list goes on.
But that work adds up — and it can get expensive. That’s why Lane County has opened its Firewise Grant Incentive Program for applications this month. The program reimburses rural property owners for eligible costs in their fire risk reduction projects.
Anderson manages the Firewise Grant Incentive Program for the county. Firewise is a nationwide program that helps bring communities together and supports homeowners with defensible space projects.
It’s a small program, and she recognizes that there are not enough resources for people who are in urban neighborhoods. She encourages them to start with simple, low-cost steps like basic yard work.
“It’s just good to remove the plants away from the house,” she said, also recommending clearing gutters.
For those in rural areas, here’s what Lane County has outlined for interested applicants:
- Application period: May 1 through May 30, 2025 (deadline: 4 p.m.)
- Who’s eligible: Rural property owners in unincorporated Lane County.
- Reimbursement cap: Up to $15,500 per qualifying property.
- Eligible costs: Clearing vegetation, replacing wood shake roofing, installing fire-resistant landscaping materials, upgrading to noncombustible siding, chimney spark arrestors, and more.
- Priority given to: First-time applicants, roofing replacements (wood shake), homes outside fire districts, properties damaged in the 2020 Holiday Farm Fire, homes in high-fuel areas (per Community Wildfire Protection Plan), and applicants who recently received a wildfire risk letter from the Oregon Department of Forestry.
People who want to apply can do so online at www.LaneCountyOR.gov/firewise.
