WildfireSaturday, November 14
Officials ask the Legislature to fund wildfire prevention after Washington's most destructive fire season
The Daily Spokane team
If you lived through August's Spokane Complex fires, the next chapter is in Olympia. Public Lands Commissioner Dave Upthegrove and other public land, tribal and wildfire officials called on the Legislature this week to fund wildfire prevention work. Spokane Public Radio also reported his call to fully fund it. They spoke at the Little Spokane River Natural Area, which largely escaped the fires.
Washington's fire season was its most destructive on record
- Around 1,000
- structures or homes lost to wildfire this year
- 1,409
- square miles burned, second only to 2015
- $188 million
- in fire damage, per Gov. Ferguson's disaster declaration
- 60
- drones kept from interfering with firefighting, Upthegrove said
Source: Yakima Herald-Republic
In 2021, lawmakers committed $500 million over eight years to the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) for prescribed burning, forest health treatments and programs that keep homes from burning. Upthegrove said fuels reduction projects made the difference in wildfires this summer, including in Spokane.
$500 millioncommitted over eight years to DNR in 2021 for wildfire prevention
The agency almost had its funding cut in half in the most recent budget cycle before it was restored.
Source: Yakima Herald-Republic
“One of the best things we can do to save money in the state budget is to reduce our suppression costs.”
- Session starts: January
- State agencies and the governor typically release budget proposals in December
- Expected deficit: several hundred million dollars, per Washington State Standard
Sources: Yakima Herald-Republic, Spokane Public Radio