Washington State DNR Announces Plans for Prescribed Burns on More Than 2,100 Acres This Spring

The Washington state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) plans to burn more than 2,100 acres this spring in an aim to prevent more severe wildfires as things heat up this summer, according to The Seattle Times (3-28-23).

In 2021, state lawmakers earmarked $500 million for wildfire prevention and forest health treatments such as these prescribed burns. After evaluating weather and wind patterns, fire risk, and ecological benefits, DNR officials have zeroed in on seven sites in Klickitat, Kittitas, Okanogan, and Spokane counties that could provide the biggest bang for their buck this spring.

Will Rubin, a DNR spokesperson, told The Seattle Times that, besides a 240-acre area north of Spokane known as Boggs Pit, other areas targeted for prescribed burns include those areas recently thinned. Rubin added that research has shown that combining mechanical thinning with prescribed fire tends to do a lot better than just one or the other for both long-term resilience and for how that landscape will interact with a wildfire.