The city of Ashland—full of, and surrounded by, trees—has long had to pay attention to the forested hills at the edge of town, to hedge against the possibility of catastrophic fire. Plans for managing the public forests have been in place at the city level for three decades.
But climate change and its effects are moving faster than was previously thought, and trees are getting sick and dying at higher rates than in the past.
Ashland City Council adopted a Climate Change Addendum to the city's forest plan earlier this year, but more tweaking may be necessary. The city is inviting the public to an open house this week (October 25th) to get the latest. We get a preview from Chris Chambers, Wildfire Division Chief at Ashland Fire & Rescue.