In protective glasses and hardhats, the workers tear their roaring chainsaws into the tangled branches of Lost Valley in Dexter, about 20 miles southeast of Eugene.
This is the , a three-month paid program for young adults ages 19 to 26. It鈥檚 backed by state wildfire funding, and run by the Northwest Youth Corps.
The goal is to build fire-safe buffers around homes and infrastructure, with a focus on landowners who are older, disabled or without financial means. In the process, organizers also hope to train some of the next generation of wildland firefighters.
鈥淣YC is really good about hiring people because of who they are and the values that they hold," said crew leader Jozie Donaghey. "And if [you're] interested in learning, they'll teach you all the other stuff.鈥�
Some crews camp out in the forest during the session, and others commute from Eugene. Donaghey said they learn to work with tools and assess properties for risk, while meeting with veteran foresters.
鈥淚t's a very experience-based profession, working in the woods," said Donaghey. "And so sometimes getting that initial foot in the door is challenging if you don't have any experience.鈥�
Making a Difference
When participant Lottie Rohde graduated from high school, they didn鈥檛 want to go straight to college. They said this program has shown them there鈥檚 other paths to a meaningful career.
鈥淚t was kind of daunting at first. Holding a chainsaw for the first time ever is like 鈥榯his is a lot of power that鈥檚 in my hands right now,鈥�" they said. "But over the past three months, I鈥檝e gained confidence in my ability to go into properties, see what would be a risk during a fire, what things can stay, and what will thrive more after the work we get done doing.鈥�
Rohde said they鈥檝e seen the impact a crew can make.
鈥淎 woman came out, and she was brought to tears, because she hadn鈥檛 seen her entire yard in like 20 years, because it was covered in blackberries," they said. "So seeing it actually brings them joy and happiness, and knowing that they鈥檙e going to be safe when the fires come, is really rewarding.鈥�
As they work in the rainy offseason, participants sometimes face uncomfortable weather. But program coordinator Will Wildebrandt said it was then when he felt the most growth and self-reflection.
"Thinking 'yes, I do feel really cold right now, I am wet right now, I could be inside an office space with a heater,'" said Wildebrandt. "But I'm also working for this person who doesn't necessarily have the means to do this work on their property, and some things are just larger than myself."
Trouble Finding Work
To find new properties, the program has formed partnerships with local governments and fire departments. But according to Donaghey, getting work isn鈥檛 always easy.
鈥淲e are struggling to get property owners in our area to get us to come," she said. "We are struggling to get diverse community members that are really the marginalized groups we're trying to reach. We just are struggling to mend that gap of education in our community members.鈥�
Donaghey said some don鈥檛 even know the service exists, while others are personally attached to the same trees that might be endangering their homes.
Meanwhile, program consultant Ian Appow said organizers have had to fight the perception that these young adults are underqualified. But he said as word-of-mouth spreads of their results, this is slowly changing.
Donaghey said for those interested in getting involved, being in the woods can be an empowering and healing experience.
鈥淚f people are thinking about changing career paths, if they're in between things, and they need a break, if they're not sure what they want to do with their lives, which is what most of us in our 20s are kind of dealing with," she said, "it's a good transitional period to try something different鈥攊t's just 10 weeks, and I was hooked.鈥�
Funding for the Community Wildfire Protection Corps has been renewed through the end of mid-2025.
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