The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) will perform controlled burns on its public lands this fall to reduce the risk of wildfire; improve habitat for animals such as deer, elk, and bighorn sheep; and improve public safety.
WDFW manages one million acres of public lands and operates the state’s only prescribed fire management teams. The teams include five full-time foresters and 18 burn-team members. Their work with small, controlled burns this past spring and summer helped to prevent larger wildfires.
“By burning off accumulations of vegetation and logging debris, we can reduce the risk of high-intensity wildfires that destroy wildlife habitat,” said WDFW Prescribed Fire Manager Matt Eberlein. “It’s not a question of whether we’ll have fires on these lands, but rather when, and the degree to which we can reduce the damage they do.”