Background
Forest Park is one of the largest urban natural areas within the city limits of a major metropolitan area and connects the city to the forested Pacific Coast Range. Covering more than 5,000 acres, it is a varied and evolving forest ecosystem. Overlooking the Willamette River, the park stretches for nearly eight miles along the northeast slope of the Tualatin Mountains.
Over 40 species of mammals and more than 100 kinds of birds thrive in Forest Park. Blanketed with Douglas fir, the park is home to hundreds of species of flowers and shrubs, including trillium and sword fern. Over 70 miles of interconnecting trails and lanes provide opportunities for circle hikes of varying lengths, including the 30-mile-long Wildwood Trail, a National Recreational Trail.
Because of its proximity to residential and urban development, Forest Park interfaces extensively with homes, infrastructure, and other development. The geographic area where such human development meets or intermingles with large amounts of continuous vegetation such as Forest Park is called the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI). In the case of Forest Park, the WUI includes most or all of the park itself, plus the forested and developed private property surrounding the park. Within the WUI, there is enough vegetation to support a wildfire and there is enough development that wildfires could result in significant damage to homes, critical infrastructure, and human lives.
Wildfire risk in Forest Park and the surrounding WUI is influenced by warming temperatures, drought, erratic precipitation, lengthening fire seasons, and impacts to the recovery of vegetation from multiple years of drought. Increased development in wildlands makes it more expensive and complex to manage conditions and reduce risks. Invasive plant species such as ivy, holly, blackberry, and clematis increase risk of fire frequency, size, and intensity. Ignition sources are also a major risk factor for wildfire in the WUI. The most likely source of a wildfire in the Forest Park WUI is human-caused ignition from adjacent homes, unsanctioned camping, discarded cigarettes, arson, or other human-caused ignition.
Wildfires in an urban setting like Portland can be extremely dangerous and difficult to control. Because of the dense population and the number of structures in wildland settings, there is less time to evacuate residents and protect personal property and the potential for loss of life and property is very real.
Through work with Portland Parks & Recreation staff and the specialized Protect the Best program, partners, contractors, neighbors, and volunteers, Portland Parks & Recreation is working to reduce wildfire risk in and around Forest Park by removing invasive plant species and supporting residents of adjacent properties to enhance the wildfire resiliency of homes and other structures. These activities reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire within Forest Park and the surrounding WUI. They also protect neighboring homes and communities, as well as critical utility lines, transportation corridors, and other public resources in and around the park.
FEMA-funded Wildfire Risk Reduction project (2022-2024)
In collaboration with Portland Fire & Rescue, Forest Park Conservancy, and contractors, and with support from the Oregon Office of Emergency Management, Portland Parks & Recreation undertook a wildfire risk reduction project funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) between 2022-2024. This was a Hazard Mitigation project focused on wildfire risk reduction activities and outreach around a 500-acre area of Forest Park adjacent to the Linnton and Springville neighborhoods. The total project cost was $572,232, with $429,174 in federal funding. The project began in June 2021 and ended in March 2024.