Introduction by Matt Danielson, Colville Forest Manager In the early 2000s, the American West began experiencing large, unprecedented wildfires energized by a century of fuel accumulated from fire suppression. Understanding a new paradigm shift was needed, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) set an ambitious goal to fund the prescribed burning on its … Continued
Cutting the federal government has always meant cutting our communities By Matt Danielson, Okanogan Forest Sr. Coordinator I used to work for the Forest Service in Okanogan County. It was 2014, and the economy was just starting to show positive signs of recovery from the Great Recession. I was concerned about my ability to get … Continued
One of the great things about our work is meeting up with fantastic students around the state and teaming up together on conservation projects. Matt Danielson, our Okanogan Forest Sr. Coordinator, and Keith Watson, our Sagelands Program Coordinator, recently had a field day with the Okanogan High School Ecology Class to examine wildfire recovery and … Continued
New Department of Natural Resources plan will improve forest health and wildfire resilience By Michael Liu, Okanogan Forest Lead Springtime can mean a lot of different things to people. The return of songbirds, blossoming arrowleaf, longer days, and the opening of Highway 20 through the North Cascades. However, another definition for springtime is an … Continued
By Mitch Friedman, Conservation Northwest Executive Director Conservation Northwest has long called for the restoration of America’s forest ecosystems at a massive scale. Back in 2006, I published this article. Two years later I gave this speech proposing a Restoration Marshall Plan. Time has only affirmed our ideas and heightened the challenge while the Forest … Continued
2021 Fire Dispatch #3: Matchsticks or mosaic in the Methow *Editor’s Note: During the big wildfires that burned across eastern Washington in 2015, we published a series of “dispatches” from our staff living and working in communities affected by fire. As 2021’s fire season as gotten off to a historically challenging start, we’ve again encouraged … Continued
2021 Fire Dispatch #2: At the spearpoint of climate change *Editor’s Note: During the big wildfires that burned across eastern Washington in 2015, we published a series of”dispatches” from our staff living and working in communities affected by fire. As 2021’s fire season as gotten off to a historically challenging start, we’ve again encouraged our … Continued
2021 Fire Dispatch #1: Wildfire perilously close to burning lek sites for endangered sage grouse near Badger Mountain *Editor’s Note: During the big wildfires that burned across eastern Washington in 2015, we published a series of”dispatches” from our staff living and working in communities affected by fire. As 2021’s fire season as gotten off to … Continued
Forest management alone is not the cause for the severity and scale of today’s wildfires, climate change has exacerbated the problem. But we have tools to respond. *Editor’s Note: Michael Liu joined our staff earlier this year after a distinguished career with the U.S. Forest Service, including as Methow District Ranger. We are honored to … Continued
Editor’s Note: Living and working in Omak in north-central Washington, Jay Kehne is no stranger to wildfires, and sadly, this is not the first time that he’s watched large fires burn around his community, or sheltered human and animal refugees at his home. We’re grateful to have Jay’s knowledge, generosity and decades of experience in … Continued