Washington State Agency and Conservation Districts Battle Wildfires

In Washington state, the battle against wildfires is escalating, with the Washington State Conservation Commission (SCC) and local conservation districts joining forces with several other entities to fight wildfire, a threat which continues to grow due to an ever-changing climate. A recent infusion of $15 million from the state Legislature, drawn from the Climate Commitment Act funds, is helping state agencies, conservation districts and other partners as they continue to tackle wildfire threats head-on.

This funding is earmarked for bolstering community wildfire resilience, spotlighting programs like Firewise USA© program, Fire Adapted Communities resources, Wildfire Ready Neighbors, and Ready Set Go, which offer vital support to landowners and communities seeking to fortify their properties against fire threats.

“Conservation districts are pivotal in providing essential guidance on forest health and wildfire resilience to homeowners and landowners,” said James Thompson, SCC’s executive director. “From stewardship planning to fire risk assessments, they’ve been integral to local efforts to mitigate wildfire risks.”

However, as climate change exacerbates wildfire frequency and severity and rural populations expand, the urgency of private landowner stewardship has never been clearer. It’s imperative for landowners to recognize their pivotal role in enhancing forest health and resilience.

“At an unprecedented time when climate change, dangerously overstocked forests, population growth in the wildland-urban interface, and wildfire risk are compounding in Washington,” said Shana Joy, SCC’s Regional Manager Coordinator. “SCC, through local conservation districts, are proactively engaging with WA DNR and numerous other partners to help homeowners and landowners take steps to make their homes and properties more resilient to wildfire because it is no longer IF but WHEN they will face this threat.”

SCC will continue to work with the other partners involved in in the work and will seek additional resources to support this work as they become available. The threat that wildfire poses is not going away any time soon and we all need to work together to help mitigate it into the future.

Learn more about the funding here: https://www.scc.wa.gov/programs/forest-health-and-wildfire

– Story by Paige DeChambeau, Communications Director
Washington State Conservation Commission

Photo captions: The photo at the top was taken by Alexi Guddal at Whatcom Conservation District. In the photo, Washington State Conservation Corp members are chipping limbs and brush so that have been thinned from nearby stands of trees. This is often done within neighborhoods to protect the houses from fire fuels building up too close to the houses and thus protecting them should wildfire strike the area. Find full size picture here.

The photo on the right was taken by Jae Townsend at Thurston Conservation District. In the photo, A DNR wildland firefighter is teaching a family about how to keep their homes safe by implementing Firewise principles on their property. Workshops like these are funded through programs like the Firewise USA© program, Fire Adapted Communities resources, Wildfire Ready Neighbors.

Learn more about the funding here: https://www.scc.wa.gov/programs/forest-health-and-wildfire

– Story by Paige DeChambeau, Communications Director
Washington State Conservation Commission

The photo above was taken by Jae Townsend at Thurston Conservation District. In the photo, A DNR wildland firefighter is teaching a family about how to keep their homes safe by implementing Firewise principles on their property. Workshops like these are funded through programs like the Firewise USA© program, Fire Adapted Communities resources, Wildfire Ready Neighbors.