Due to Wildfires Washington State’s DNR Closes all Lands East of the Cascades to Reactional Use

The Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is closing, effective immediately, all of the lands it manages east of the Cascades to recreation due to high fire danger. The closure will last at least through Friday, and DNR staff will evaluate the possibility of extending it as the week progresses. In explaining the closures Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz, said, “Whenever we close recreation lands to the public, our only motivation is safety. With more than 300,000 acres burning since Monday, this remains a very volatile and dangerous situation. Because of the scale of these fires, our state’s resources are fully deployed. We are holding nothing back. But that means we must take every possible precaution to prevent new fires from being started. That’s why we’ve taken action.” In addition, Franz reported that, all timber sales and fuel mitigation work on U.S. Forest Service lands performed under DNR’s Good Neighbor Authority have also been halted.