How Oregon is building back smarter after wildfire

Oregon relaxed building codes after the 2020 Almeda Fire to ease rebuilding, but state officials and Energy Trust of Oregon used pandemic relief funds and doubled utility-funded incentives to encourage fire survivors to rebuild to current energy-efficiency standards instead. The approach proved successful in Canby’s neighboring communities of Talent, Phoenix, and Ashland, where builder Suncrest Homes and others constructed 35 highly efficient, fire-resistant homes using triple-pane windows, improved insulation, and heat pumps, though manufactured home parks housing low-income and Latine residents have been slower to recover. State Rep. Pam Marsh, whose district includes the fire zone, says the “carrots-instead-of-sticks” strategy demonstrates how to rebuild more resiliently after disasters while meeting climate goals.