Clearing fire fuels is critical to reducing the risk of wildfires in the summer months. Washington State’s Department of Natural Resources Landowner Program focuses on fire hazard abatement on private land.
The program saw more landowners interested in participating in the program during the pandemic. Steve Harris, Assistant Region Manager in Northeast for Wildfire and Forest Practices, attributed the uptick in participation to stay at home orders, saying people were looking for more to do around the house. DNR workers help landowners remove small trees, prune large trees, and remove slash (the dead brush that burns easily) from the ground.