Medford has embarked on a strategy to adapt to less rainfall, hotter summers and more wildfires.

Medford City Council last Thursday told planning staff to continue to flesh out a plan that creates a framework to minimize anticipated climate change effects.

The Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience Plan, which would require a formal council vote in the future, will set the stage for attracting grants to help deal with summers that are expected to have up to 40 110-degree days by the end of the century.

“Doug fir is not going to exist in this region below 3,000 feet in the next three to five years,” said Matt Brinkley, Medford planning director.

He said that will impact areas such as Prescott Park and the area around Roxy Ann Peak. Nearby Ashland is preparing for helicopter logging this winter to remove some 20% of the Douglas firs, the state tree, that have died in the mountains above the city.

Medford might see average temperature increases of 9 degrees by 2100, according to some climate projections detailed in the city’s projections.

Some of the near-term, high priorities that Brinkley laid out for the council are continuing habitat restoration along Bear Creek and other fish-bearing streams.

Protecting the urban canopy in residential and other areas of the city would be a top priority.

A heat-island survey that would identify hot areas of the city is another major goal. A longer-range goal would be to provide incentives for new developments that are more geared to avoiding the creation of heat islands.

Parks will continue to provide a respite from summer heat, Brinkley said.

Over the past decade, Medford and the region have seen hotter, drier summers, with many months smashing previous records for heat.

More emergency shelters, including those for senior citizens, is also a top priority, particularly to provide relief from the heat and smoke.

Strategies will need to be developed to conserve water and electricity to deal with hotter drier summers.

More energy-efficiency measures are needed as well as incentives for solar, particularly to help middle- and low-income households.

Once the plan has been adopted in a resolution by City Council, it would provide greater opportunities for federal and state grants.

The plan would also attempt to deal with impacts on the local economy, including the wine industry, public health and recreation.

The city began working on the climate plan in 2020.

Councilor Sarah Spansail said she thought the plan was a step in the right direction but hopes to see it fleshed out more in the future.

“I’m excited about the next steps,” she said.

Councilor Eric Stark said the plan has a lot of predictions and forecasts for the future.

“Is there any mitigation that is going to possibly alter those results or minimize them,” he said.

Brinkley said the kind of changes needed to reverse these forecasts are beyond the ability of the city of Medford, but the plan itself will hopefully allow the city to maintain a good quality of life as the climate worsens.

“Really what we need are concerted global efforts to mitigate them,” he said. “It’s about adjusting to a new normal.”