Fire and in particular, controlled, prescribed burns play a critical role in the health of Washington’s forests, preventing wildfires, and establishing fire-resilience communities.
The Trailing Edge: Drought, Wildfire and Forest Transformation
Keep Washington Evergreen
Prescribed Fire Season Kicks Off in Eastern Washington
Calling for a transformative federal investment in wildfire resilience
Today, an op-ed in The Seattle Times by our state director, Mike Stevens, with Yakama Nation Natural Resources director Phil Rigdon and Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz, calls for a transformative level of federal investment in wildfire resilience.
Thank You For Supporting Fire Funding
Legislature Supports Community Forest Projects
An exciting new program funded by the Washington State Legislature will support six community forest projects around the state. The Capital Budget includes $16.3 million for this new Community Forest Program administered by the Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO). The six projects have been driven by local communities in Chelan, Jefferson, Pierce, Klickitat, Kittitas, and Kitsap Counties.
Chewing Up Fuels to Reduce Fire Risk
In the forests along Cle Elum ridge above the town of Roslyn, heavy machinery has chewed through small trees and underbrush, grinding the shrubbery into chips in seconds, all in the name of forest health and reduced risk of wildfire.
Grinding and chipping the trees into smaller pieces increases the surface area, and once those smaller chips are on the ground and in contact with the soil, they can break down faster and quickly reduce the fire hazards on the landscape.
The Checkerboard Partnership Wants to Hear from You
A new group in Kittitas County is seeking community input to answer that question: The Checkerboard Partnership brings together an array of energized individuals, organizations and elected officials to permanently protect community access, support economic vitality and enhance conservation and forest health on this now-privately owned land. The group is exploring various ways to preserve the land.
NASA and The Nature Conservancy Team Up on Wildfire Project
Collaborative Forest Projects Move Forward
Four major landscape restoration projects in central Washington are in planning and environmental analysis and will be ready for implementation in 2021 or sooner. These projects span from the north to the south of the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest and encompass approximately 400,000 acres of high-priority restoration areas under the 20-Year Forest Health Strategic Plan led by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
