Audit: Forestry department stretched too thin

Published 1:18 am Wednesday, August 24, 2016

By Staff Reports

BEND, Ore. (AP) — An Oregon state audit says the time, effort and money spent fighting wildfires has strained workers and harmed other programs at the Oregon Department of Forestry.

The Bend Bulletin reports that the Oregon secretary of state released the audit on Tuesday.

According to the report, the wildfire workload has increased and staffing has not kept pace, forcing more employees to do fire-related assignments and work longer hours. The audit says the forestry department is fighting more severe fires with about the same number of employees it had 20 years ago.

The department says it supports and agrees with the audit’s findings. Officials have detailed ways they plan to address the recommendations.

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