Financial grants are available to rural Lane County residents who are interested in making landscaping and structural improvements to their properties, which can increase the survivability of their home in the event of a wildfire.
Donor Name: Lane County
State: Oregon
County: Lane County (OR)
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 08/01/2022
Size of the Grant: up to $15,500
Details:
The Firewise Grant Incentive Program is administered by the Lane County Land Management Division’s Long Range Planning and Building programs, with funding provided through Title III of the Federal Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Program – Section 601 of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008.
The grant program offers homeowners in rural Lane County financial assistance to make their homes better able to survive wildfires.
Residents may qualify for up to $15,500 in financial assistance to carry out the following improvements:
- Replacement of wood shake roofs with noncombustible roof materials
- Installation of fire-resistant windows, doors and siding
- Thinning and pruning of vegetation to create a “defensible space” around homes
- Planting of low fire risk plants within the defensible space
- Installation of an irrigation system & a water catchment/storage tank
- Screening of vents and other opening to prevent the entry of firebrands
- Installation of spark arrestors on chimneys.
Eligibility Criteria
- Eligible properties will be located in rural Lane County (outside of the Eugene-Springfield Urban Growth Boundary or outside of the incorporated area of any other city within the county).
- Properties must be susceptible to wildfire (as part of the application review process, staff will conduct a site visit to the property to determine its potential vulnerability to wildfire)
- All incentive projects reimbursable by the County must be completed by a professional licensed contractor or landscaper, except for the Fire Resistant Plants & Landscape Materials, Spark Arrestor, and the Vent Protection incentives. It is the responsibility of the landowner to hire and coordinate the work of the contractor or landscaper and to ensure that all work is satisfactorily completed within an agreed upon time period (6 months from the date that a grant agreement has been formalized).
- In order to qualify for funding for structural improvements, the land owners must also agree to create and maintain a “defensible space”. A defensible space is defined as an area either natural or man-made, where material capable of allowing a fire to spread unchecked has been treated, cleared or modified to slow the rate and intensity of an advancing wildfire and to create an area for fire suppression operations to occur. Staff will discuss this requirement with you during the site visit.
For more information, visit Lane County.
