The Democratic Party of Clackamas County Resolution 2024-10: Climate Change and Public Safety

WHEREAS the Democratic Party of Clackamas County (DPCC) recognizes that all people are entitled to live in safety; and WHEREAS we recognize the intrinsic beauty and benefits of trees, and the inherent risks that they pose; and

WHEREAS climate change and global warming are real and resulting in storms that are more severe, increases in lightning, ice storms and wind speeds, droughts that occur more often, last longer and are more severe, and severe wildfires that are larger and more frequent; and
destroyed or having significant structural damage.

WHEREAS Large wildfires have devastated cities and towns when conditions cause the initial fire to begin spreading faster than the firefighters can keep up with it, and having highly flammable trees and other fuels nearby exacerbate the rapid spread of the fires; and

WHEREAS Flammable materials, including many trees, shrubs and grasses (including fallen trees, dead fauna, etc.) are known to be significant contributors to wildfires, and a minimum gap called “defensible space” around a structure is an effective safety measure; and

WHEREAS the State of Oregon has passed SB762 in 2021 that embraces the International Code Council’s (ICC) International Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) Code (IWUIC), and requires compliance with its defensible space guidelines (sections 603 & 604) for properties that are designated as Extreme or High risk, but gives no guidance for properties that have a Moderate risk rating; resulting in a law that contradicts the defensible space guidance in that same ICC Code, which states that defensible space is to be provided on all land in the “WUI,” and in all risk categories; and

WHEREAS some local jurisdictions have enacted codes that fail to consider the risks to public safety that result from the changes in climate, such as higher winds and increasing wildfires; and

NOW, THEREFORE, WE ARE RESOLVED AS FOLLOWS:

Section 1. We call upon our Oregon State legislators to endorse, sponsor, or co-sponsor legislation that states that the owner of any property located within a WUI with any risk rating, must be allowed to manage the trees and other vegetative fuels within the defensible space areas around their structure(s), per the defensible space guidelines in Section 603 of the ICC IWUIC.

Section 2. We call upon our Oregon State legislators to endorse, sponsor, or co-sponsor legislation that mandates that when anyone, including an Arborist, evaluates a tree’s potential to be a hazard to people or property, the following criteria must be considered: high winds could come from any direction; both sustained wind and wind gust speeds equal to their respective historic peak speeds (or the average of the three highest daily peaks for each within the last 10 years), according to the NOAA historical data for the applicable region of the state, or the nearest airport for which NOAA collects reliable weather data.

Resolution drafted by James Farley, Tom Horman and Darby Collins, Clackamas County and submitted by Committee.