Two Democratic state senators are in a kind of debate over how Oregon should come up with more money to fight wildfires and do more prevention.

Your taxes may change.

State Sen. Jeff Golden, D-Ashland, wants a tax on the value of industrial timber harvests to pay for protection that he says disproportionately benefits private forest owners.

“There is a segment of the timber industry that’s more than able to shoulder more of the load, and when we think about the protection that they get from ODF, they should be picking up more of the baggage here,” Golden said.

State Sen. Elizabeth Steiner, D-Portland, wants every private landowner in Oregon to pay a little extra, $10. The resulting $20 million would go to help the Oregon Department of Forestry combat wildfires.

“This is an all Oregon problem now, and that’s different from where we were 10 years ago,” Steiner said.

The Oregon Capital Chronicle reported that both will introduce their proposals during the short legislative session in February. Golden will seek a vote for a ballot referral, which would allow him to avoid a constitutional requirement that three-fifths of the House and Senate approve any new or increased taxes. Steiner will need the three-fifths vote in both chambers for her proposal to pass.

In 2021, the year after the historic fires, the Legislature allocated $220 million for wildfire prevention and response. Two years later, after a couple of mild fire seasons, they approved just $87 million. The part of the budget meant to help Oregonians harden their homes and neighborhoods against wildfires went from $35 million in 2021 to $3 million in 2023.

“It’s very clear to me we are stumbling into the future without an adequate source of funding for wildfire,” Golden said.

Who gets the benefit from these added funds?

It would most directly accrue to owners of timberlands. But obviously when timberlands burn and wildfire smoke fills the air, all Oregonians suffer in multiple ways.

We’d rather Oregonians get to vote on either proposal at the ballot, than the Legislature making the new tax decision for us. Make the case to voters and let them decide how or if it should be done.