Forest Park is the largest forested city park in the United States and is an incredible asset to the community. The 5,200 forested habitat improves our region’s air and water quality, sequesters carbon, provides critical habitat for native flora and fauna, and improves the health and wellbeing of people living in this region by providing a place for recreation and connection to the environment.
A park of its size requires considerable investment and cross-sector collaboration, especially in the face of complex threats like climate change.
Many neighborhoods and businesses surrounding Forest Park exist within what is called the wildland-urban interface (WUI). The steep slopes of the Tualatin Mountains, coupled with prolonged drought conditions and vertically growing ladder fuels, have created an environment conducive to a devastating wildfire.
But, we have good news!
The Forest Park Wildfire Mitigation Project
The City of Portland recently received funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) via the Oregon Office of Emergency Management for a grant under FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program. Grant funds will be used to implement a wildfire mitigation project in and around Forest Park through the Forest Park Wildfire Mitigation Project.
The Forest Park Wildfire Mitigation Project seeks to address these issues and build awareness with a meaningful collaboration between public sector non-profits, governmental organizations, and private landowners.
The proposed project will support Portland Fire & Rescue, Portland Parks & Recreation, and the Forest Park Conservancy to significantly reduce fuel loads in targeted areas of Forest Park.
The targeted area for this work is identified as “at-risk” in Multnomah County’s 2011 Community Wildfire Protection Plan and a Focus Area in the 2008 Forest Park Wildfire Risk Reduction Final Report. This work seeks to improve conditions that can be more easily maintained into the future.
Education and Outreach: FPC’s Canopy Weed Program + Firewise USA
Removing invasive species can prevent a wildfire from rapidly spreading throughout the park and improve the forest ecology’s overall health.
Forest Park Conservancy will support awareness raising of resources such as the Canopy Weed Program and the Firewise USA Program to residents of the neighborhoods adjacent to Forest Park through outreach efforts such as door-to-door knocking and community events. This work to build connections between those living and working adjacent to Forest Park in the WUI has the potential to reduce loss and the need for disaster assistance.
A Collaborative Effort
Public and private partners are committed to working together to address critical ecosystem threats facing Forest Park and the greater Forest Park ecosystem.
And as we know, after a summer of heatwaves, wildfire, and drought, investing in the protection and health of our urban forests is more important than ever.
We look forward to keeping you engaged and updated on this project as the work unfolds.