FILE - The ShoeFly Fire burns north east of Mitchell, Ore., on Sep. 2, 2024. Oregon lawmakers had to call an emergency session in December 2024 after the state’s most expensive wildfire season left the Oregon Department of Forestry with nearly $100 million in unpaid bills.
Kathryn Styer Martínez / OPB
As wildfires grow larger and more destructive across the West, state governments are having a hard time paying for response and prevention. Oregon lawmakers had to call an emergency session in December 2024 after the state’s most expensive fire season left the Oregon Department of Forestry with nearly $100 million in unpaid bills. They also created a new tax in the 2025 session on nicotine pouches, such as Zyn, to fund wildfire prevention.
Kyle Williams is the deputy director of fire operations for ODF. He joins us with more details about the state’s wildfire funding ahead of what could be a historic fire season.
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