Washington State, having felt the burn from Washington’s recent unseasonably hot summers, has already begun preparations for this year’s wildfire season. In May, Governor Jay Inslee declared an expanded drought emergency covering over 25 watersheds due to low snowpack and predicted drier conditions throughout the summer. Last year, there were 1,732 fires reported in Washington with over $170,000,000 spent in total firefighting costs. In response to the number and intensity of wildfires experienced last season, the legislature took steps to prepare for future wildfire seasons.

On May 8, 2019, House Bill 1784 was signed into law. The bill directs the Washington Department of Natural Resources (“DNR”) to prioritize forest health. Specifically, the bill requires DNR to “prioritize, to the maximum extent practicable…forest health treatments that are strategically planned to serve the dual benefits of forest health maximization while providing geographically planned tools for wildfire response.” To implement this mandate, the DNR “shall attempt to locate and design forest health treatments in such a way as to provide wildfire response personnel with strategically located treated areas to assist with managing fire response.” The law also provides the DNR with the authority to issue burning permits for wildfire-reduction purposes on lands where the DNR does not have fire protection responsibility. For example, the DNR may enter into cooperative agreements with local fire protection agencies to issue burning permits for reducing wildfire risk within the urban growth area.

Wildfire prevention is at the forefront of many legislator’s minds both in Washington and along the West Coast. Similar bipartisan bills are being proposed along the west coast, as well as in Congress, aiming to tackle topics ranging from wildfire prevention funding, to landscape analyses and resource protection

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