A storm is brewing in Oregon, but this time, it’s not fire or flood—it’s a legal battle. Frustrated landowners, backed by the Oregon Property Owners Association (OPOA) Legal Center, Harney County, Grant County, and a coalition of concerned residents, have taken a stand against the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) and the State Forester. Their weapon of choice? A lawsuit, freshly filed in Harney County Circuit Court, aiming to dismantle the state’s controversial Wildfire Hazard Map and revoke all orders sent to property owners under its authority.
The lawsuit doesn’t mince words: state officials, it claims, cut corners, ignored due process, and left property owners blindsided by a flawed and legally questionable designation system. The heart of the argument is simple—landowners were left in the dark, with critical decisions about their properties made without their knowledge or consent.
At the center of the controversy is the state’s Wildfire Hazard Map, which assigns wildfire hazard levels and Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) designations to tax lots across Oregon. According to the lawsuit, ODF failed to follow proper legal procedures when classifying properties, depriving landowners of their constitutional right to fair notice and the ability to challenge their designations…