Smokey skies don’t need to be a summer norm

Contending with smoke-filled skies can feel overwhelming. Kids can’t go outside to play. Windows are closed. And people stay inside during our best months of the year.

But, while wildfire smoke is a new reality in western Washington, a future of clean summertime air is possible.

The intense fires that we’re seeing across the West – those burning entire forests and leaving nothing behind – are a relatively new phenomenon.

Historically, natural wildfires burned grass, brush, and debris, but left resilient trees unharmed and created less smoke. Last century, we began emphasizing fire suppression, and we were successful. Too much so.

Forests became overcrowded. Wildfires were no longer clearing out smaller trees and undergrowth. Too many trees competing for too few resources resulted in trees growing weak and losing their natural wildfire resistance.

A changing climate has thrown fuel on the literal fire. Ninety-six percent of our state is experiencing drought conditions. With hotter temperatures and reduced rain, our fire seasons have grown longer.

I lead our state’s largest wildfire fighting force – the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Each day, thousands of courageous wildland firefighters put their lives on the line to protect our communities. They are great at what they do.

In 2017, we employed new strategies: using air assets to get on fires quickly, positioning equipment in high-risk areas, and interagency training with federal and local partners. As a result, we kept 96% of fires under 10 acres. We are on pace for a similar success rate this year.

But fighting fires effectively is not enough given the conditions we face. This year, we’ve already responded to more than 1,100 wildfires. And we’ve spent nearly $1 billion fighting wildfires since 2014.

Today, 2.7 million acres of Washington forestland are unhealthy – i.e., overly dense and prone to burn with great intensity. We must take drastic steps to reduce wildfire risk by restoring forest health. Healthy forests regain natural wildfire resistance, lessening the megafires we are seeing.

That’s why last year DNR launched a 20-year Forest Health Strategic Plan, which calls for us to restore the health of 1.25 million acres of forestland – state, federal, private, and tribal.

This means prescribed burns in the spring and fall when smoke is less likely to impact air quality. This also means thinning trees, clearing brush, and trimming low-lying limbs. There is much to do – this pace and scale of forest restoration is unprecedented in Washington.

In January, the State Legislature allocated $13 million to begin this work, but significant and sustained investments will be required.

Next year, I’ll be asking the legislature for more firefighting resources and increased funding to thin overcrowded forests and make them less likely to burn. This includes making seasonal DNR firefighters full-time. When not on the fire lines, they can carry out critical forest health treatments.

This isn’t a problem we can solve overnight. Smoke may be a part of our summers for now. But the sooner we get serious about forest health solutions, the sooner we can all stop holding our breath.

This story was originally published August 28, 2018 at 4:50 PM.