Oregon has declared new rules for homeowners living in high-risk wildfire areas.

AP News reported that any Oregon properties on the newly developed "wildfire hazard maps" will face stricter building codes and mandates to reduce vegetation to make a home more resilient to fire. 

Oregon law states that this will not affect homeowners insurance rates, which has been a concern with previous versions of the state-mandated rules. 

In 2023, a state law was passed that prohibited insurers from using a wildfire hazard map produced by a state agency to cancel or decline to renew a homeowners insurance policy or to increase premiums.

The new defense codes will affect around 106,000 tax lots, requiring new construction to incorporate fire-resistant features. Current buildings may have to make upgrades such as metal roofs or fiber cement siding.

"If we manage our vegetation a certain way, if we build our structures out of certain materials, then we can increase the likelihood of that structure surviving," Andy McEvoy, a faculty research assistant at Oregon State University's College of Forestry who worked on the map, told the AP.

The maps were put together after a record-breaking wildfire season last year and previous devastating firestorms. Blazes on Labor Day weekend in 2020, made worse by strong winds, killed nine people, burned more than 1,875 square miles, and destroyed thousands of homes and buildings. It was one of the worst natural disasters the state has witnessed. 

The 2024 wildfire season was also historic, costing Oregon more than $350 million – the state's most expensive on record, burning nearly 3,000 square miles. Blazes have gone so far as to burn homes along the Pacific coast, which were previously unaffected thanks to wetter and cooler weather conditions. But with record-high heat in recent years, wildfire seasons are growing longer, more intense, and reaching greater areas.

"After 2020, we can't pretend anymore that this is just an issue for southwest Oregon and central Oregon," McEvoy told AP. "All of those events really cried out for a statewide — a truly statewide — strategy to respond to wildfire risk."

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Oregon isn't the only state dealing with the effects. Washington, Colorado, and California have also recently moved to address fire risk in their communities. As more and more states are dealing with extreme weather phenomena, it's important to take measures that could save lives.

As NASA reported, planet-warming gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane, trap heat and increase air and ocean temperatures. This warming affects the water cycle, shifts weather patterns, and melts ice — all of which make extreme weather worse.

Weatherizing your home reduces energy costs, raises property values, and cuts down on pollution – which is a huge factor in the extreme weather we've seen over the past few years. 

Anything we can do to reduce our individual carbon footprint is a huge plus for all of us. Veering away from dirty energy sources, unplugging devices when you aren't using them, recycling, and composting are all ways we can help cool the planet and appease Mother Nature.

For those in affected areas or looking to install eco upgrades in their home, check to see what tax breaks and credits you may be eligible for. A lot of these installs, like solar panels and heat pumps, aren't as expensive as they seem at first glance after considering the long-term savings and discounts.

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