Washington state has a wildfire crisis. In 2018, the Washington State Department of Natural Resources – the state’s largest wildfire fighting force – responded to more than 1,850 wildfires, a record high. Across Washington, 440,000 acres burned.
The costs to fight wildfires in this state each year are immense – averaging $153 million. And a changing climate and more development in the wildland-urban interface mean the threat of wildfire will increase.
More than 2.2 million homes in Washington now lie in the potential wake of wildfire, according to a recent U.S. Forest Service study that analyzed population centers against areas where wildfires are highly likely.
To help Washington prepare and manage this escalating risk, Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz today released Washington’s Wildland Fire Protection 10-Year Strategic Plan.
“Wildfire fire is not an eastside or westside problem. It is not an urban or rural problem.