On the Hot Seat
Funny how it took a move into the country before a Democrat would support efforts to clean up our forest floors.
Last week, Senate Bill 6121 passed the Senate unanimously. The bill sponsored by Sen. Kevin Van De Wege — a Democrat who now lives at Lake Sutherland — encourages the removal of downed timber and other “fuel” that could feed a wildfire.
He should be commended for being among the first Democrats to step out of the party box and recognize the importance of removing downed timber, dead snags and other ground debris from our forests. Interestingly, it took his move from a city to rural Lake Sutherland to see the light.
If you haven’t been to Lake Sutherland, its a quaint little community on U.S. Highway 101 west of Port Angeles, on the Olympic Peninsula. It sports a small marina, a park and some very nice homes on picturesque Lake Sutherland — a great lake to boat, ride a Jet Ski and fish for Kokanee..
Above Lake Sutherland is a steep ridge that climbs into the Olympic Mountains. There are a couple switchback logging roads you can climb with a four-wheel drive.
While I haven’t been to Lake Sutherland in a few years, I previously lived just a few miles away and spent many weekends recreating there.
Downed timber and dead snags have long been of concern for residents, and those of nearby communities like Joyce, Port Angeles, Pysht, Sappho, Beaver and more. Should a major fire erupt during the summer, it’s likely crews would have to let it burn due to “fuel” that would feed the flames on the flats and inaccessible, steep slopes, even on the wet Olympic Peninsula.
“We can’t always prevent wildfires from happening, but when they do happen, we can starve them of the fuels that feed them,” Van De Wege said in announcing his bill’s success.
If only that mindset had been adopted by employee activists working in the state Department of Natural Resources over the last three decades. Maybe the Carlton Complex — the state’s largest-ever fire at 256,108 acres — wouldn’t have nearly destroyed the town of Pateros or raced from the Methow Valley all the way to the doorsteps of Okanogan, Malott and Brewster in 2014. Maybe the Stickpin Fire, with flames that erupted hundreds of feet in the air northeast of Republic, would’ve been more containable. Then there’s the Okanogan Complex fires, the Tunk Block Fire … you get the idea.
One thing those and many other of the state’s larger fire have had in common is downed timber, dead snags and debris to feed the flames.
Van De Wege’s bill enocurages thinning, limbing, clearing brush and removing slash piles. But reducing wildfire risk in our state — especially here on the arid east side of the Cascade Curtain — will require more.
Many of our forest roads need reconstructed, so residents can access and collect downed wood to heat their homes during the winter. And gates blocking historicforest road access need to be removed.
Companies need to be encouraged to collect and use downed timber and dead snags. Areas infested with pine beetles need to be cleared and replanted. And logging, once a mainstay for many rural communities, needs to be encouraged when possible.
The bill comes at an opportune time in state politics.
Environmental-activist-attorney-turned-politician Hilary Franz isn’t seeking re-election as the state lands commissioner. That leaves the door open for a silviculturist to step up and truly manage forest health.
Van De Wege’s bill probably won’t be signed into law this year. But it could be the catalyst for change in state forest management practices, as well as a change in failed forest leadership.
— Roger Harnack is the publisher of Free Press Publishing. Email him at [email protected].
Roger Harnack is the owner/publisher of Free Press Publishing. Having grown up Benton City, Roger is an award-winning journalist, columnist, photographer, editor and publisher. He's one of only two editorial/commentary writers from Washington state to ever receive the international Golden Quill. Roger is dedicated to the preservation of local media, and the voice it retains for Eastern Washington.
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