South Ridgeline Project
The South Ridgeline project would implement the actions
identified in the Lane County Wildfire Protection Plan and subsequent City of
Eugene South Ridgeline Fire Fuel Reduction Project. The purpose is to reduce
long term risk to people, property, and critical infrastructure from wildfire
hazards through community education and reduction of fuel loads in the heavily
forested 2,000 acres of public lands in the South Ridgeline area of Eugene,
Oregon.
Residential land uses, invasive species, overstocked forests,
and changes in the climate have resulted in decadent forest conditions heavily
loaded with fuels. These heavy fuel loads combined with steep slopes and
inaccessible areas along more than 20 miles of ridgeline make the public
parkland vulnerable to fire suppression challenges and pose a significant
wildfire risk to thousands of residents and their homes, critical communication
towers, transmission power lines, other electric utilities, water reservoirs,
and critical infrastructure.
The Project Goals:
1). Implement landscape-scale fuels reduction treatments to
reduce the risk of damaging wildfires in the WUI areas of the Ridgeline to
create a more fire resilient landscape;
2). Promote public awareness, engage participation, and
enhance partnerships through education, outreach and coordination of diverse
and representative groups of the City of Eugene’s population.
3). Implement and maintain greater coordination among
local, state, and federal land management agencies and private landowners to
effectively prioritize hazardous fuels treatments, and provide the framework
for reducing the risks and consequences of wildland fire to the community
