If you think major wildfires in Washington are just for the eastern half of the state, think again.
In a meeting room at the Tulalip Resort Casino, wildland firefighters, climate scientists, emergency managers, and others gathered Monday for a conference called “Managing Western Washington Wildfire Risk in a Changing Climate.” “The risk is going up, and there’s a real need to better understand what’s going to happen,” said Amy Snover, Director of the University of Washington Climate Impacts Group, and University Director of the Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center.
Western Washington and Oregon have seen massive fires in the distant past. The 1902 Yacolt Burn in southwest Washington held the state record until 2014. The Yacolt burn complex accounted for more than 1 million acres lost, where fire traveled 30 miles in a day and a half.