Outage Map
Healthy Forests, Reliable Power
Oregon is experiencing 1 of the worst wildfire seasons on record. More than 2,000,000 acres have burned, including significant areas within the Mount Hood, Malheur, Ochoco, and Umatilla National Forests—and the wildfire season is not yet over.
These fires are more than headlines for many Central Electric Cooperative members. In the co-op’s expansive 5,300-squaremile service territory, members witnessed the Akawa Butte Fire near Sisters and the Rowe Creek Complex Fire east of Prineville, both started by lightning.
The wildfires disrupted daily life, forced evacuations, closed roads, and caused prolonged power outages that, in some cases, lasted for days. When fires damage transmission facilities, distribution lines, or critical infrastructure, restoration can be delayed by hazardous conditions, limited access, and ongoing firefighting efforts.
These events remind us that reliable electricity depends on more than poles and wires. It also depends on healthy forests.
Oregon is home to about 16 million acres of federal forestland. Decades of fire suppression, insect infestations, drought, and accumulated vegetation have created unnaturally high fuel loads across many of these landscapes. The result is larger, hotter, and more destructive wildfires that threaten communities, public lands, and critical infrastructure.
That is why CEC and other Oregon cooperatives support the bipartisan Fix Our Forests Act. The legislation would prioritize treatment of the highest-risk firesheds by accelerating forest management and wildfire mitigation efforts, reducing permitting delays, expanding vegetation management authorities, and streamlining the review process for high-priority projects.
Importantly for electric cooperatives, the bill would improve the ability to manage vegetation near power lines. More predictable permitting timelines and streamlined federal reviews would allow utilities to address hazardous trees more efficiently. The legislation would provide greater flexibility to remove trees capable of striking power lines from distances up to 150 feet away.
These commonsense changes would help reduce wildfire ignition risk, decrease storm-related outages, and lessen the need for emergency repairs following major wind events. They would also improve safety for lineworkers and the communities we serve.
The reality is, we cannot eliminate every wildfire risk. However, we can take practical steps to make our forests healthier, our communities safer, and our electric system more resilient.
Congress returns to Washington, D.C., this fall, and this legislation deserves strong support. I encourage Oregon’s U.S. senators to support the Fix Our Forests Act and help advance meaningful forest management policies to protect rural communities and critical infrastructure.
Healthy forests and reliable electricity go hand in hand. By taking action today, we can reduce future wildfire impacts and help ensure our members continue to receive the safe, reliable, and affordable electric service they depend on for years to come.
President and CEO Brad Wilson