Eugene council hears proposal for five-year exemption to allow prescribed ecological burns within city

City Manager Jenny Haruyama introduced a proposed ordinance that would grant a five-year exemption from application of Eugene Code Section 6.200 to permit prescribed ecological burns within Eugene city limits.

Haruyama said the exemption would allow partners — noted in staff materials as the Ritter Partnership, the Bureau of Land Management, The Nature Conservancy and the city's Parks and Open Space staff — to conduct prescribed ecological burns of up to 300 acres per year inside the city. The exemption would remain in effect through December 31, 2030.

No members of the public signed up to testify on this item, and Haruyama closed the public hearing after announcing there were no speakers. Councilors did not ask follow-up questions on the record and the council moved on to the next item on the agenda.