AGENCY
AGENCY IS
AGENCY IS INCREASINGLY FOCUSING ON THE ROOT CAUSES AND THE MASSIVE JOB THAT LIES AHEAD.
WASHINGTON CALLS ITSELF THE
EVERGREEN STATE OF THE STATE'S
43 MILLION ACRES.
MORE THAN HALF IS COVERED BY
TREES BUT ENVIRONMENTALLY THE
EVERGREEN STATE IS REALLY TWO
STATES THE WETTER WEST SIDE
DOMINATED BY DOUGLAS FIR
HEMLOCK AND CEDARS AND THE
DRIER EAST SIDE THE LAND OF
PONDEROSA PINE.
AND WHILE WILDFIRE HAPPENS MORE
OFTEN ON THE EASTERN HALF OF
THE STATE THAT HAS BEGUN TO
SHIFT AND HISTORY HAS SHOWN
BOTH EAST AND WEST HAVE SEEN
MASSIVE RECORD SETTING MEGA
FIRES SO THE EAST SIDE OF THE
STATE TOO MUCH OF THE FOREST
LOOKS LIKE THIS A LOT OF LOW
HANGING BRUSH, SMALL TREES, ALL
LADDER FUELS WHEN CAUGHT ON
FIRE THAT COULD KILL THE BIGGER
TREES WE WALK ACROSS THE ROAD
HERE YOU SEE WHAT HAS ALREADY
BEEN TREATED.
THERE'S A LOT MORE SPACE AND
ACTUALLY LAND.
YOU CAN SEE OUR CREWS COME IN
HERE AND REMOVE THE DEAD DYING
DISEASE TREES SMALLER DIAMON
TREES GET MORE SPACE BETWEEN
TREES, CLEAN UP THE WOODY
DEBRIS ON THE GROUND AND THE
GOAL HERE IS THAT FIRE IF IT
COMES HERE THAT IT'S GOING TO
BE MANAGED MUCH EASIER IN
GETTING THAT FIRE PUT OUT WEST
OF YAKIMA NEAR AN AREA KNOWN AS
ITANIUM IS WHERE I MET UP WITH
LANDS COMMISSIONER HILLARY
FRANS AND STATE FORESTER GEORGE
GEISLER.
IF WITHOUT DOING THAT YOU'RE
GOING TO HAVE FIRE THAT WILL BE
IN THE CROWNS AND ONCE IT GETS
INTO THAT AT THAT POINT
SUPPRESSION IS JUST ALMOST
IMPOSSIBLE.
THE CROWNS, THE TREES UPPER
STOREY THAT GETS THE MOST
SUNLIGHT IS IT HUMAN
INTERVENTION?
YES, BUT HUMAN INVOLVEMENT IN
THE FOREST HAS BEEN GOING ON
FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS.
NATIVE AMERICANS WOULD BURN OFF
MUCH OF THAT LOW LEVEL BRUSH
DELIBERATELY.
BUT AS THE NATION IN THE
NORTHWEST
THE
THE LAST
THE LAST CENTURY SAW FIRES SUPPRESSED. OH REMEMBER ONLY YOU CAN
PREVENT FOREST FIRES.
AND WHILE THE MESSAGE FROM
SMOKEY BEAR LARGELY WORKED, THE
SIDE EFFECT WAS THAT ALL THAT
LOW LEVEL VEGETATION BUILT UP
DECADE AFTER DECADE AND WHEN IT
DOES CATCH FIRE THE HIGHER
INTENSITY IS KILLING TREES THAT
HAD EVOLVED WITH THE TOUGH BARK
TO SURVIVE LESS SEVERE FIRE
THIS PONDEROSA PINE WAS BORN IN
ABOUT SIXTEEN TWENTY IN TWENTY
EIGHTEEN U.S. FOREST SERVICE
FIRE RESEARCH ECOLOGIST PAUL
HESTERBERG SHOWED ME A CROSS
SECTION OF A TREE THAT HAD
SURVIVED FIRE AFTER FIRE FOR
THE BETTER PART OF 400 YEARS.
SEVENTEEN TWENTY ANOTHER FIRE
SEVENTEEN THIRTY ONE SEVENTEEN
FIFTY NINE 1771 1776.
HE WORKS AT A SPECIAL FOREST
LAB IN WENATCHEE.
HE KEEPS COUNTING EVIDENCE OF
FREQUENT FIRES EMBEDDED IN THE
TREES RINGS THEN NINETEEN
THIRTY NINE AND THEN THERE'S A
STRETCH OF SIXTY YEARS WITHOUT
FIRE ENDING IN NINETEEN NINETY
NINE IN THE TREE DIED.
THAT MEANS THE TREES THAT
WITHSTOOD FREQUENT LOW LEVEL
FIRES FOR CENTURIES COULD NO
LONGER SURVIVE THE INTENSITY OF
TODAY'S WORST FIRES.
ADDITIONALLY, FORESTERS SAY ALL
THAT LOW LEVEL GROWTH WEAKENS
THE BIGGER TREES BY COMPETING
FOR NUTRIENTS IN THE SOIL.
SO WHAT DO YOU DO?
SO ALPHA ONE IS GOING TO BE
LEFT FLANK.
ALPHA TWO IS GOING TO BE THE
RIGHT FLANK YOU BURN UNDER
CONTROLLED CONDITIONS LOW
INTENSITY FIRES PRESCRIBED BY
TRAINED EXPERTS MOSTLY IN THE
SPRING NOT UNLIKE THE NATURAL
FIRES THAT OLD PONDEROSA
SURVIVED FOR CENTURIES AND WE
SET A GOAL OF ONE POINT TWENTY
FIVE MILLION ACRES THAT WE WILL
TREAT OVER THE NEXT 20 YEARS
AND THAT'S JUST IN EASTERN AND
CENTRAL WASHINGTON WHAT'S
CALLED MECHANICAL REMOVAL LIKE
WHAT HAPPENED HERE AND THAT'S
EXPENSIVE.
THE LONG RANGE GOAL IS TO TURN
THAT WOODY DEBRIS INTO
MARKETABLE PRODUCTS FROM STOVE
PELLETS TO SUSTAINABLE AVIATION
FUEL TO POWER OUR AIRLINERS
PROVIDING THE MONEY FOR MORE
TREATMENT.
BUT GETTING THERE IS TAKING
TIME MAKING PRESCRIBED BURNING
THE PRIMARY OPTION.
NOW ARE YOU EVER GOING TO BE
ABLE TO CATCH UP WITH I MEAN
HERE'S WHAT I WOULD SAY TO YOU
.
WE HAVE A HUGE JOB IN FRONT OF
US JUST IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN
WASHINGTON AND WE'RE ALSO
WATCHING WATCHING WESTERN
WASHINGTON STRUGGLING NOW AND
ITS FORCE.
I COULD SIT HERE AND GO OH MY
GOSH, THIS IS WAY TOO BIG.
THERE'S NOT ENOUGH RESOURCES
AND NOT ENOUGH TIME TO GET ON
TOP OF IT AND SAY TOO MUCH
SORRY, BUT I WOULD BE FAILING
WE WOULD BE FAILING THE PEOPLE
WASHINGTON STATE.
WE WOULD BE FAILING THE
INCREASE IN CATASTROPHIC FIRES
IF WE JUST SAID IT'S HOPELESS,
WE CAN'T DO ANYTHING BUT
FRIENDS WHO WAS ELECTED AS A
DEMOCRAT TO HER POST AS
COMMISSIONER OF PUBLIC LANDS
PUSHED A LANDMARK PIECE OF
BIPARTISAN LEGISLATION IN
OLYMPIA THIS PAST SESSION
GENERALLY REFERRED TO AS HOUSE
BILL 1062, IT SETS ASIDE 125
MILLION DOLLARS EVERY TWO YEAR
BUDGET CYCLE FOR MORE RESOURCES
TO FIGHT FIRES THAT WE DON'T
WANT AND GET OUR FORESTS
HEALTHY AGAIN.
HOUSE BILL SIXTY EIGHT PASSED.
HOW DO WE MOVE AT THE PACE OF
WILDFIRE ON OUR FOREST
ELTRINGHAM WE GOT TO GO FASTER
BUT PRESSURE IS ALSO BUILDING
ON THE WEST SIDE WHERE A
PONDEROSA PINE IS EVOLVED TO
SURVIVE FIRES IN MODERATION.
DOUG FIR AND HEMLOCK HAVE NOT
FIRES HERE TEND TO KILL ENTIRE
STANDS OF TREES AND AGAIN
HUMANS ARE PLAYING A ROLE MANY
UNWITTINGLY AS MORE AND MORE OF
US ARE BUILDING OUR HOMES IN
THE FOREST.
WHAT YOU'RE SEEING IS A LOT
MORE EXPOSURE OF PEOPLE INTO
FORESTS THAT ARE DRYING OUT IN
FORESTS THAT ARE IN BAD SHAPE
FROM A FOREST HEALTH STANDPOINT
THAT COMBINATION IS REALLY WHAT
IS INCREASING THE FIRE THREAT
ON THE