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The national database of state and local wildfire hazard mitigation programs
serves as a clearinghouse of information about nonfederal policies and
programs that seek to reduce the risk of loss of life and property through
the reduction of hazardous fuels on private lands. If
you would like to submit a program to the national wildfire programs database,
please complete the following form (MS
Word).
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Title: |
Ashland, OR - Development Standards for New Subdivisions
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Type: |
Regulatory
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Jurisdiction: |
City/town
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State: |
Oregon
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Program Description: |
REGULATORY
City of Ashland, located in southern Oregon, experiences a severe wildfire threat. Ashland has adopted strong vegetation management regulations in its Municipal Code, Development Standards for Wildfire Lands, 18.62.090. The regulations apply to the subdivision review process for new development, administered by the Department of Planning, as part of the Land Use Code. Areas designated on the City of Ashland planning map as Areas of Wildfire Hazard, identified by their topography and prevailing vegetation type, require Fire Prevention and Control Plans prior to development.
Fire Prevention and Control Plan
The Development Standards for Wildfire Lands require that a Fire Prevention and Control Plan be submitted with any application for a Performance Standards Development, with a preliminary plat of a subdivision, or with an application to partition land which contains areas designated as Wildfire Hazard Areas. The Fire Prevention and Control Plan must be reviewed and approved by the Fire Chief. The Plan must include the following items:
A. an analysis of the fire hazards on the site from wildfire, as influenced by existing vegetation and topography;
B. a map showing the areas that are to be cleared of dead, dying, or diseased vegetation;
C. a map of the areas that are to be thinned to reduce the interlocking canopy of trees;
D. a tree management plan, showing the location of all trees that are to be preserved and removed on each lot;
E. the areas of Primary and Secondary Fuel Breaks that are required to be installed around each structure;
F. roads and driveways sufficient for emergency vehicle access and fire suppression activities, including the slope of all roads and driveways within the Wildfire Lands area.
Fuel Breaks
A fuel break is defined as an area which is free of dead or dying vegetation, and has native, fast-burning species sufficiently thinned so that there is no interlocking canopy of this type of vegetation. A Primary Fuel Break extends a minimum of 30 feet in all directions around structures, excluding fences, on the property. The goal within this area is to remove ground cover that will produce flame lengths in excess of one foot. Such a fuel break shall be increased by 10 feet for each 10% increase in slope over 10%. A Secondary Fuel Break extends a minimum of 100 feet beyond the Primary Fuel Break. The goal of the secondary fuel break is to reduce fuels so that the overall intensity of any wildfire is reduced through fuels control.
Implementation
The Fire Prevention and Control Plan must be implemented before the issuance of any building permits for structures. In subdivisions or Performance Standards Developments, provisions for the maintenance of the Fire Prevention and Control Plan are included in the covenants, conditions and restrictions of the property, and the City of Ashland is named as beneficiary of the covenants, restrictions and conditions. In partitions of lots, maintenance of the Plan is the responsibility of the owner.
Contact Information
For more information, contact City of Ashland Planning Department, 541/488-5305, or Fire Prevention Officer Margueritte Hickman at Ashland Fire & Rescue, via email, at [email protected].
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