Local fire professionals have come together in northeast Washington state in April and May to build skills and harness the power of fire for good in a Prescribed Fire Training Exchange (TREX). This is the first time that this innovative training has been hosted in northeast Washington, building on five years of successful events throughout the state.
As of May 7, 24 TREX participants and organizers have successfully engaged in live fire training opportunities with host partners igniting controlled burns across 246 acres. TREX hosts include diverse entities, including the Kalispel Tribe, the Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area, Colville National Forest, the state Department of Fish and Wildlife and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
These types of cooperative burns across different types of land ownership showcase that everyone has a role to play in fire management, from federal agencies on down to private landowners.
Creating a “black line” in preparation for a controlled burn on Bureau of Land Management land as part of this year’s Northeast Washington TREX. Photo © Eric Kiehn
Washington’s landscapes evolved with fire, and fire will always be part of the landscape here. During a prescribed burn, fire professionals use low-intensity fires to reduce vegetation, including dense shrubs and saplings, that could otherwise fuel an uncharacteristically severe wildfire. This creates healthier forests and grasslands with improved habitat for fish and wildlife and safer conditions for all of us.
“Using beneficial fire and putting fire to work again will be key as we learn from the past and adapt to better live with more fire in a warming climate,” said Reese Lolley, director of fire and forest health with The Nature Conservancy in Washington. “This work is one way to accelerate and reconnect how to appropriately use and prepare for fire in communities across Washington.”
The Northeast Washington TREX brings participants into a collaborative environment designed to increase shared stewardship and learning across agencies and communities. Participants are paired with qualified trainers during the prescribed burns, allowing them to practice safely using fire to restore forests and create safer conditions for communities.
Locations of this year’s Northeast Washington TREX controlled burns:
The TREX program is working to support and amplify an existing strong foundation of cooperation and partnership among prescribed fire practitioners and land managers in northeast Washington. TREX strives to enhance a cooperative burning model that meets the needs of diverse entities, including federal and state agencies, private landowners and contractors, tribes, academics and international partners—while incorporating local values and issues to build the right kinds of capacity in the right places.
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For example, in addition to enhancing fire training opportunities and relationships in northeast Washington between local fire professionals, the TREX team met with three private landowners who are enthusiastic about using fire and are requesting support to overcome barriers to put fire to work to meet their stewardship goals. These landowners may be hosts to future northeast TREX events, creating local training opportunities that in turn support landowner and community goals.
Similar TREX events take place nationwide. In Washington, they are becoming more routine as the state and its partners implement the Washington State Wildland Fire Protection 10-Year Strategic Plan and a 20-Year Forest Health Strategic Plan to restore the natural wildfire resilience of our forests and reduce wildland fire risk in response to local values.
"We’re very proud to support this collaborative effort to conduct prescribed fires in key landscapes as well as the training benefits these opportunities provide,” said Mike Norris, Prescribed Fire Program Manager for the Department of Natural Resources.
Watch a video from this year’s Northeast Washington TREX:
The 2021 Spring Northeast Washington TREX was funded by the Bureau of Land Management and the Washington Department of Natural Resources. Northeast Washington TREX hosts include: the Kalispel Tribe, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, Colville National Forest, Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife, US Fish & Wildlife Service and The Nature Conservancy.
Participating agencies include: Stevens County Fire District 1, Stevens County Fire District 10, Stevens County Fire District 13, Northport Volunteer Fire Department, Kittitas County Fire District 1, Kittitas County Fire District 3, Lincoln County Fire District 1, Roslyn Fire Department, Kalispel Tribe, US Forest Service, Washington Department of Natural Resources, The Nature Conservancy
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