March 22, 2023 10:30 a.m. 

Douglas Electric Cooperative has been awarded over $9.1 million in funding to enhance its fuel treatments, vegetation management and other mitigation efforts in high-risk wildfire areas.

Assistant General Manager Phil Bigler said the funding from the U.S. Forest Service, will enable DEC to reduce fuel buildup in the utility right-of-way, increase forest health and minimize the probability that the distribution system may be the origin or contributing source of a fire.

Bigler said DEC has been working to reduce the risk of wildfires in its service area, coving 2200 square miles, for many years. With this new funding, DEC will be able to accelerate and expand its efforts, addressing hazard trees not in the traditional utility space while reducing the vegetation management program to a 3-to-4-year cycle.

Bigler said the project will cover $1,275 miles of power lines and enhance the utility right-of-way’s ability to function as fire breaks. This will help protect local communities, homes and businesses that rely on DEC’s power supply.

DEC General Manager Keith Brooks said, “We are grateful for this funding, which will enable us to continue our ongoing efforts to reduce wildfire risk in our service area”. Brooks said, “Wildfire prevention and mitigation is a top priority for us and we are committed to working with our community partners to keep our members safe and secure”.

A release said DEC’s efforts to reduce wildfire risk are essential, given the increasing threat of wildfires in the Pacific Northwest. This funding will help ensure that DEC is well prepared to meet this challenge and continue to provide reliable power to its members.