Drop in state funding for WA’s work to prevent severe wildfires is stoking concerns

Drop in state funding for WA’s work to prevent severe wildfires is stoking concerns

The Rimrock Retreat Fire burned through the Oak Creek drainage in Yakima County in 2024, but the damage was minimal due to tree thinning and prescribed burns the Department of Natural Resources completed in the area with House Bill 1168 funding before the fire. Photo by Emily Fitzgerald. If state funding for forest health and wildfire prevention isn’t ramped back up in the next legislative session, it could hinder efforts to prevent severe fires…