Workforce Development

Oregon Conservation Corps of the Umpqua Valley (OCC), a state-wide program launched under Senate Bill 762, connects underserved and disadvantaged youth and young adults with workforce training opportunities through a diverse range of hands-on natural resource stewardship projects. OCC crews focus on fuels reduction and oak restoration projects with priority support provided on private lands in the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI). Crews operate full-time for 9 months (fall-spring seasons) in collaboration with rural fire departments, the Douglas Forest Protective Association (DFPA), Glide Revitalization, and other community partners to create and maintain fire-adapted communities. Crew members gain technical skills along with leadership skills that prepare them for a diverse range of career pathways in the broad fields of forestry and natural resources. Through supplemental funding provided by the Oregon State Fire Marshal (OSFM), OCC crews provide sponsored fuels reduction services to marginalized and low-income rural landowners and community organizations to help create defensible space around buildings and infrastructure in zones deemed high-risk for catastrophic wildfire events. Crews host community workshops and demonstrations on fuels reduction practices, including slash treatments with industrial chippers and flame-cap biochar kilns designed for waste reduction, carbon sequestration, and soil ecosystem enhancement.

To learn more about collaborative OCC projects and community services, please contact Ben Erickson at berickson@roseburgphoenix.com or call 541-802-6034