Oregon Executive Order No. 25-26: Directing State Agencies to Take Urgent Action to Promote the Resilience of our Communities and Natural and Working Lands and Waters

In response to increasing impacts of climate change in the state of Oregon, Governor Tina Kotek issued Executive Order 25-26 on October 21, 2025. The order requires 15 state agencies and boards to take direct action to assess resilience and implement practices that further resilience in the state. Additionally, the order mandates each named agency or board to create and present biennial plans detailing their implementation of the order, which will inform the Governor’s proposed statewide budget. 

To justify state-wide action on resilience, the governor cites the pressing impacts of climate change on Oregon and its citizens, such as increasing temperatures, more frequent wildfires, and fluctuating precipitation patterns. She also recognizes the importance of natural and working lands to the overall health and resilience of Oregon, noting that they provide “environmental, social, health and economic benefits statewide.” The order both aims to preserve, protect, and restore these natural and working lands while also focusing on engaging with communities to prepare them for the increasing impacts of climate change. 

The order directs agencies to assess resilience in the state by identifying “key resilience attributes” and determining a baseline of resilience. “Key resilience attributes” are described as features of the natural landscape that are either (1) currently resilient to climate change impacts or (2) “capable of achieving multiple benefits of high resilience,” despite changing conditions, if protected or restored. The Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB) and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) are identified as the lead agencies for this objective and must work closely with the Oregon Department of Energy (ODOE). Once these key attributes are identified, agencies are directed to leverage that information to “identify and improve programs, processes, and practices that protect and promote stewardship of working lands and waters to adapt to impacts from a changing climate.” Examples include stewardship-focused programs, partnerships with landowners, funding opportunities, and permitting processes. 

EO 25-26 also sets a conservation goal for the state, requiring agencies to “conserve, connect, or restore ten percent of lands and waters” over the course of 10 years, measured against the 2025 baseline. Decisions over which land to conserve must be informed by the key resilience attributes and should seek to maximize co-benefits, including carbon sequestration, public health, ecosystem health, and reduced risk of fire and flood. The order also suggests that agencies collaborate with Business Oregon, the state’s economic development agency, to explore innovative market-based mitigation strategies, such as advanced mitigation banks or in-lieu fee programs. 

Beyond conservation of land, EO 25-26 also focuses on “ensuring a livable Oregon” by building community resilience as well as landscape resilience. To build community resilience, the EO directs the Oregon State Resilience Officer to lead the development of the “Plan for a Resilient Oregon (PRO),” which will aim to identify resources and strategies to support communities in their efforts to both adapt to impacts of climate change and recover from climate-related disasters. Notably, creation of the PRO will include “extensive and meaningful outreach with communities… in every region of the state.” The order also aims to reduce the risk of wildfire and the public impacts of wildfire by directing agencies to both improve landscape resiliency and support the creation of fire-adapted communities. To accomplish this, agencies must focus on educating communities and promoting defensible space requirements, fire-resistant building materials, and community risk reduction efforts. 

The Governor’s Natural Resource Office will lead the implementation of EO 25-26, supported by an Agency Leadership Implementation Team. Additionally, all 15 state agencies which are named in the order are required to create a biennial plan that includes targets and metrics related to their responsibilities under the EO. In the interest of public transparency and engagement, the biennial plans will be presented at a public meeting where there is opportunity for public comment. These plans will then inform the development of the Governor’s Recommended Budget. The state and agencies are also required to engage and collaborate with Oregon’s nine federally recognized sovereign tribal nations in the implementation of the order. 

Publication Date: October 21, 2025

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  • State of Oregon

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  • Executive order

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