PRINEVILLE, OR -- The same day Oregon's Board of Forestry approved rules for the new state Wildfire Hazard Map, Crook County Commissioners said they have multiple issues with how the map was developed and what designations were applied to their area.

County Community Development Director Will Van Vactor told Commissioners Wednesday the map is inconsistent, "Lots that are also in the wildland-urban interface that are completely surrounded by lots that are only classified as moderate risk." Most notably, he says, areas in Deschutes and Crook counties with similar topography, climate and population are assigned different hazard levels, "Sunriver and Black Butte are both moderate risk, when portions of Juniper Canyon, for example, are high risk - when even staff from OSU acknowledge that there's grave risk involved in both Black Butte and Sunriver in terms of the risk of a catastrophic fire."

Van Vactor also says there's a lack of due process for property owners, "So, if somebody does some good work creating defensible space around their property or eliminating vegetation that may pose a fire risk, there's no opportunity to have their property reclassified." And, he believes, "It puts our Community Development staff in a position where they're trying to enforce whatever higher building code may be required without understanding why, because the map isn't self explanatory."

Commissioner Brian Barney says the whole process should be re-evaluated, "You can compare Black Butte, and more specifically with Sunriver, as being a lower fire hazard than some of the areas over here, especially Juniper Canyon, then definitely they didn't go to the scene and look." And, he thinks the lack of due process, after the initial 90-day appeal period, will leave some property owners unable to build or renovate their homes, "Because the building requirements are much more stringent, it's much more expensive, it puts people against other people and where they live. And discourages them from living in those areas."

County Commissioner Susan Hermreck is concerned about seeing some waterways designated as moderate risk, "The fact that they have lakes designated as moderate wildfire, I really do think they need to go back and take a hard look."

Commissioners signed a letter this week to the Governor, state lawmakers and OSU, which developed the map, asking for more review of the determination process.