A yearly cleanup of fire fuels around Government Camp has gone through a
number of iterations throughout the years, including prisoners from the Salem
Women’s Correctional Center coming in last fall to do it. But due to a lack of

funding, Nick Rinard, Chair of the Government Camp Community Planning
Organization (CPO), noted that this year’s cleanup almost didn’t happen.

However, thanks to some last-minute fundraising and support, including
$1,000 from the REVEL Race Series and Simon’s Tree Service willing to do the
work for the limited budget, and the community’s fire fuels, totaling 22 brush
piles, got chipped last month.
“We’re very grateful for (Simon),” Rinard said, noting that area home owners
were putting in the work to clear brush away from their properties.

Rinard hopes to build upon the work next year, and in light of that, one
community member started a Gofundme account to help raise money
(https://www.gofundme.com/government-camp-fire-prevention), which
received an anonymous donation of $5,000.

“They’re grateful the CPO is leading this effort,” Rinard said of the donor,
adding that there has been a shift in the community regarding fire danger. “I
think the forest fires the last two years were kind of a wakeup call for people.”

Rinard also noted that in the past, only “a trickle” of homeowners would
participate in clearing fire fuels from their properties, but he sees momentum
building with this recent effort.

He added that the topic of fire fuels is an ongoing one at CPO meetings,
including such aspects as defensible space and ladder fuels. The next CPO
meeting will be at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 9, at the Mt. Hood Cultural Center &
Museum, 88900 Government Camp Loop in Government Camp.

Scott Kline, Fire Marshall for the Hoodland Fire District (HFD), noted that
some steps homeowners can take to reduce fire fuels around their properties
including removing tree limbs over the roof line and close to a house (up to
one-third of the tree height on smaller trees, keeping woodpiles at least 30
feet from a house and removing dead and dying plants next to a house.

The HFD lifted burning restrictions on Friday, Oct. 26, but burning is still
regulated by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality based on air
conditions. Up to date burn information is available on the HFD Burn
Information Line at 503-622-3463.