Wildfires can leave an economic footprint considerably larger than the land they burn. Across Oregon, a business does not have to lose a building, equipment or inventory to experience significant financial damage during fire season. Hotel cancellations, declining restaurant traffic, interrupted agricultural operations, canceled outdoor activities, temporary closures and reduced tourism can affect businesses many miles from an active fire, particularly when smoke, evacuation notices and changing travel conditions influence where people work, shop and spend their money.
The Oregon Department of Emergency Management is attempting to measure those losses during the 2026 wildfire season through a new Business Self-Reporting Damage Survey. Businesses affected by wildfire or wildfire smoke are being asked to document physical damage as well as economic losses, providing the state with information that can be used to evaluate the broader financial effects of fires and determine whether affected communities may qualify for additional recovery resources.
The survey is not limited to businesses that suffered direct contact with fire. Oregon officials are seeking information about lost revenue, temporary closures, reduced customer traffic, canceled events and activities, and other wildfire-related disruptions. The approach allows the state to account for economic damage that may not appear in traditional wildfire statistics, which generally focus on acreage, containment, evacuations, structures and firefighting resources.
That broader accounting is particularly relevant during Oregon’s summer tourism and recreation season. Hotels and motels can experience cancellations when visitors change travel plans because of smoke or nearby fires. Restaurants and retailers can see fewer customers when tourism declines, while rafting companies, campgrounds, wineries, outdoor recreation operators and event organizers can lose revenue when conditions interfere with activities. A business may remain open and physically undamaged while still experiencing measurable financial losses associated with a wildfire emergency.
Josephine and Jackson counties provide an important regional example because tourism, agriculture, outdoor recreation and hospitality are significant parts of the local economy. Visitors travel to the Rogue Valley for rafting, fishing, hiking, camping, wineries, entertainment and other activities, supporting lodging properties, restaurants, retailers and service businesses throughout the region. When wildfire smoke, highway conditions, recreation closures or evacuation notices alter those travel patterns, the economic effects can reach businesses outside an evacuation area or fire perimeter.
Similar circumstances can occur elsewhere in Oregon. Wildfire-related disruptions can affect communities in Central Oregon, the Columbia River Gorge, Eastern Oregon and other regions where summer recreation, agriculture and visitor spending contribute to local economies. A reduction in visitors can affect several businesses during the same trip because travelers who cancel lodging reservations may also eliminate spending they otherwise would have made at restaurants, stores, fuel stations, attractions and recreation businesses.
Agricultural losses can be equally difficult to measure through conventional fire statistics. Farmers and ranchers may experience damage to fencing, equipment, grazing areas or other agricultural resources while also facing increased expenses associated with livestock feed, animal relocation and continued operations. Oregon has separately collected agricultural recovery information in areas affected by fires this season, adding another source of information for evaluating damage that extends beyond homes and commercial buildings.
Information collected through the business survey could also become important when Oregon evaluates eligibility for federal assistance through the U.S. Small Business Administration. SBA disaster programs can provide qualifying businesses with access to low-interest loans following eligible disasters, including Economic Injury Disaster Loans intended to help businesses experiencing substantial economic harm. These programs operate separately from the disaster assistance administered through the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
SBA and FEMA assistance can affect how communities recover following a wildfire. FEMA assistance generally involves a presidential major disaster declaration and specific eligibility and damage requirements, while SBA disaster declarations follow different standards. Oregon has previously pursued SBA assistance in situations where damage did not support broader FEMA Individual or Public Assistance, providing another possible recovery avenue for businesses and residents affected by a disaster.
The 2025 Rowena Fire demonstrated how that process can work in Oregon. State officials determined that the damage did not support pursuing FEMA Individual or Public Assistance, but Oregon requested an SBA disaster declaration. The request was approved, allowing qualifying businesses, homeowners and renters affected by the fire to seek low-interest federal disaster loans.
Oregon’s experience following the 2020 wildfires also provides perspective on the financial scale that can emerge from business losses. State recovery assessments identified 136 SBA business loan applications representing approximately $32 million in verified losses. Fifteen loans were ultimately approved, accounting for approximately $2 million provided to affected businesses, while state recovery documentation indicated that those figures did not capture every business affected by the fires.
For businesses participating in the 2026 survey, submitting information does not constitute an application for federal assistance and does not guarantee eligibility for an SBA loan or another recovery program. The survey also does not replace an insurance claim. Businesses with insured losses should continue working with their insurance providers while maintaining financial records that can document wildfire-related expenses, cancellations, revenue reductions and physical damage.
The value of the statewide survey will depend in part on the information businesses provide because economic losses without corresponding physical destruction can be difficult for government agencies to identify independently. Revenue records, canceled reservations, temporary closures and other documented impacts can help state officials establish how widely economic damage occurred and which industries and communities experienced the greatest effects.
For residents, the survey provides a broader way of understanding the financial consequences of wildfire season. Acres burned and structures destroyed remain essential measurements of a fire’s physical impact, but they do not account for every business affected by smoke, evacuations, road disruptions or changes in tourism and consumer activity. By collecting those losses from businesses throughout the state, Oregon is developing a more complete economic record of the 2026 wildfire season while determining whether documented impacts could support additional state or federal recovery assistance.