Wallowa Resources is excited to bring you the latest edition of the Stewardship Series, a selection of posts that celebrate the diverse land stewards in the region, their work, their values, and their deep connection to this place. Our goal is to offer these land stewards a platform to tell their story in their very own voice, with wishes to inspire reflection on our connections to place and our human role in this precious landscape. In this installment, we traveled over the mountains to the other side of the Wallowas to meet with Debi Lorence, NE OR Small Woodlands President.

Debi Lorence is a co-leader in the Pine Valley Firewise Community around Halfway, Oregon, supporting with grant writing and helping private landowners prepare their land and structures for wildfire, as well as cultivating community networking. She serves as a volunteer rural firefighter for Pine Valley Rural Fire Protection District, and when not training for fire, she works with the local school district to provide education & outreach to the K-12 grade populations. As Northeast Oregon Small Woodlands Association (NEOSWA) President, she works with her board to provide education and support to private landowners in four northeast Oregon counties. Similar to NE OR Firewise, NE OR Small Woodlands is a neighbors-working-with-neighbors organization creating impactful change.

“This is my neighbor’s private land, that was hand planted over 30 years ago, from a landowner who desired to return the land to its pre-managed state after it was clear cut in the 1950's.* Since I’ve lived here, I’ve supported fuel reduction (often times with NW Youth Corps) on over 35 combined acres on this property. He has graciously opened this favorite piece of the valley to be visited and enjoyed by hundreds who walk gentle trails through the trees. I’m inspired by how he welcomes people to walk up the mountains in his backyard and voluntarily maintains the trails year round. I walk here in all seasons, with my dog and with my daughter.” -Debi Lorence

*The past 100 (or more) years of fire suppression have changed Eastern Oregon forests - they are more dense, have more shade-tolerant trees, and are more uniform in structure. These conditions make forests more susceptible to large, intense wildfires. Landowners and partners, like Debbie and the Pine Valley Firewise Community, are using a mix of restoration techniques, like thinning, to mimic the region's historic fires and are working to make their forests more resilient to large scale disturbances.

“I’m inspired by looking at these mountains every day and by working in a community that has a true appreciation for volunteer work and deeper connection to their backyard. Since I moved to Pine Valley, we’ve planted over 2000 trees in an area that was previously an open field space at our home. I love helping my neighbors with their restoration projects to improve our landscape for years to come; planting native flowers and sharing seeds brings me joy.“ -Debi Lorence

“My daughter Nicole and I have enjoyed painting on our own for years but have never painted together. In May 2022, once the snow melted, we collaborated on painting this big metal container at the front of our property, taking inspiration from the mountains we see from here. We added all the colors of spring and summer, all the sunsets, into this one piece which is in the front of our property. It was the largest mural project I had ever accomplished. The previous winter, we painted quilt art blocks for valley residents to put on their historic barns with donated materials from Mills Lumber in Baker City, creating the Pine Valley Quilt Block Trail.” -Debi Lorence

Although new to the Panhandle, quilt trails have been appearing in towns across the U.S. since the early 2000s. Described as “a series of painted wood or metal hung or freestanding quilt squares installed along a route emphasizing significant architecture and/or aesthetic landscapes,” quilt trails originated in Ohio and can now be found in more than 30 states and several Canadian provinces. In Oregon, large quilt trails are located in Washington County, along the north coast and in the Columbia River Gorge.

“The power to help people feel safe really inspires me, and creating community around these subjects is meaningful to me. I am hopeful that we can educate most landowners in the WUI [wildland urban interface] on how to mitigate their property and prepare it for wildland fire, connect them with support for clearing around their structures and establish safety zones for them. Many people have lived here for decades and never experienced a fire, so efforts to convince them makes this work challenging. Many do not feel the urgency, or elderly folks perhaps want to prepare but physically are not able to keep up, and that’s where my forces come in. A decline in youthful, energetic labor sources and lack of funding can also be a challenge.” - Debi Lorence

“Women that work beside me inspire me. My coworker/volunteer in Pine Valley Firewise, Pam Conley, inspires me to keep on going, and she works as hard as I do, keeping my head on straight, as well as the other 95 Pine Valley Firewise members. She also supports me in grant writing. As a volunteer firefighter, I’m gaining greater understanding of specifics we can do to keep homes from burning and how public education to keep homes and loved ones protected from wildfire devastation plays a vital role in my work. The board for Northeast Oregon Small Woodlands Association is also a team of amazing women, and men, making huge differences by the work they do every day.” - Debi Lorence

“In my religion, I believe that Jesus is in charge and that the Bible has told us that the land will burn at the end of times. With that, I believe we are here to love our neighbors as ourselves, and I don’t want these neighbors who I have come to know and love to lose their homes to wildfire. We must work together and encourage everyone to do their part in cleaning up the debris around their homes, teach fire safety and practice it, and physically help those who are not able to do the work themselves. Get to know your neighbors and understand their needs to support our future, and if there’s not one in place yet, start your own Northeast Oregon Firewise community.” - Debi Lorence

Learn more about firewise