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River Butte Wildfire Resiliency Project

River Butte Wildfire Resiliency Project


Location: Big Butte Creek watershed, between Crowfoot Road and Big Butte Springs
Partners: ODF, NRCS, Medford Water Commission

A dense forest with trees, fallen branches, and leafy vegetation on the ground.
Overgrown forests filled with dense buckbrush and suppressed trees can create unhealthy conditions and increase the risk of severe wildfire.


The Big Butte Creek watershed is vital to the Rogue Valley, serving as a primary source of drinking water. Climate change, fire suppression, and frequent human-caused ignitions elevate the risk of devastating wildfires that could harm these water sources. To mitigate this risk, the River Butte Wildfire Resiliency Project implements climate-smart forestry practices to reduce wildfire intensity and enhance the resilience of these forests.

The project will focus on three priority zones:

  1. Areas near drinking water sources (surface and groundwater)
  2. Areas near major ingress/egress roads
  3. Private lands adjacent to Medford Water Commission infrastructure

The goal is to modify fire behavior to achieve a future condition of low-to-moderate intensity, improving the health of the Big Butte Springs and Creek watersheds and their tributaries. This work complements the recovery efforts following the 2020 South Obenchain Fire, which burned over 32,600 acres and destroyed more than 100 structures.

A lush, green forest with tall trees, some fallen branches, and a bright blue sky in the background.
Cut vegetation and small trees are stacked into burn piles, reducing wildfire fuel and making space for healthier forest growth. These piles will be safely burned during appropriate weather conditions.

Project Status:
First-entry cutting treatments have begun on four properties in the Upper Big Butte Creek watershed. Work on the second set of properties has been awarded and will start on April 14. The third and final set of properties will be put out to bid in the coming weeks. All cutting and piling work is scheduled for completion by June this year.

Monitoring:
Inventory and monitoring will be conducted using forest inventory protocols, tracking fuel class and surface fuel loads pre- and post-treatment.

People walking in a forest clearing, wearing safety gear and helmets, with a stack of wood nearby.
Restoration work removes ladder fuels and excess vegetation, creating healthier, more fire-resilient forests with burn piles ready for safe disposal.