Telling the “Good Fire” Story: Two Communities’ Prescribed Fire Outreach Efforts

In 2016, the Washington State Legislature passed the Forest Resiliency Burning Pilot, ESHB 2928, a bill that supported a pilot to evaluate and monitor the effects of forest resiliency burning. Washington Department of Natural Resources, North-Central Washington Forest Health Collaborative (NCWFHC), Northeast Washington Forestry Coalition, Tapash Sustainable Forest Collaborative, and the Washington Prescribed Fire Council (WPFC) completed the project. Four main components were identified for implementation: controlled burning, monitoring fire effects on vegetation, air quality monitoring, and performing prescribed fire outreach, including tracking public feedback and inquiries. This blog is an interview with Hilary Lundgren, former executive director of the Chumstick Wildfire Stewardship Coalition (CWSC) and Kirsten Cook, community outreach director of the Okanogan Conservation District (Okanogan CD).