Deschutes County has allocated $125,000 for the fall of 2025 to fund fuel reduction projects aimed at reducing wildfire risk in Deschutes County communities. Preference will be given to communities or neighborhoods that are working towards or have already achieved recognition as a Firewise USA site and are proposing projects consistent with their Firewise action plan and community assessment.
Activities eligible for funding include, but are not limited to:
- Equipment rental
- Supplies for community work parties
- Contracting fees for roadside chipping, fuel reduction or defensible space creation
- Debris disposal fees
Applicants must work at a neighborhood or community scale to reduce wildfire risks. Individual properties are not eligible. Activities should focus on reducing wildland fuels and/or improving defensible space around structures. There are no minimum or maximum limits on grant requests, however awards are anticipated to range between $100 and $5,000.
Applicants must complete and submit one electronic form. Competitive applications will include some matching resources (cash, volunteer time, or goods and services), though a match is not required. Applicants must provide a tax ID number with their application. Communities without a tax ID number are required to provide a fiscal sponsor with a tax ID.
Upper Deschutes River Comunities (UDRC) can provide fiscal sponsorship for community projects within the La Pine Rural Fire District. Contact UDRC to review your project proposal.
The first round of applications will be accepted from Sept. 1 through Sept. 30, 2025. Reviews will begin shortly thereafter, with potential site visits during the evaluation. Applicants will be notified by early October. Project work and reporting must be completed by June 30, 2026. Click here for more information and application form.
Project Wildfire Meeting about Home Insurance Issues
Kenton Brine, President of the Northwest Insurance Council was the guest speaker at the July 2025 Project Wildfire meeting. Kenton gave an interesting presentation with discussion about how home insurance companies operate in the region. Click here to watch the video recording.
UDRC Community Maps Available
Large paper maps (36 x 36 inches) with lot boundaries are available for the following communities. Contact UDRC to pick up a map of your community.
- Beaver Road District
- Caldera Springs
- Crosswater
- DRRH 6
- DRRH 9
- Fall River Estates
- Haner Park
- OWW 2
- Pinewood Country Estates
- River Meadows
- Spring River
- Sundance
- Thousand Trails
- Vandevert Acres
- Vandevert Ranch
- Wild River
