MEDICAL LAKE, Wash. — For the second time in six days, the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (WSDOT) hosted a post-fire assistance meeting, this time for victims of the Gray Fire in Medical Lake.
In a two-plus hour meeting at the Medical Lake High School auditorium, those affected learned how to determine if their trees will live, how to dispose of their destroyed logs, how to handle reforestation, and how to deal with noxious weeds. They also heard about different assistance programs, took down numbers from licensed foresters and heard from an Avista Utilities representative about what the company plans to do with the trees they knocked down to protect their power lines.
While the meeting featured similar topics to the Oregon Road Fire meeting, Wednesday’s meeting focused on Medical Lake’s unique landscape.
“The options here at Gray Road are fewer when it comes to reforestation options,” DNR organizer and meeting host Steve Harris said. “(You’re) mostly looking at a Ponderosa Pine regime. Some of these areas here around Medical Lake are very harsh and dry, and ponderosas can handle very dry ground.”
Among those in attendance was Matt Aleria, owner of Dirt Worx Land Management, a company focused on land preparation for wildfires. The Gray Fire broke out right outside the five acres he owns in Medical Lake, and he worked with DNR for five days, creating dozer lines for the fire. He says meetings like this one help the community come together.
“I think the DNR did a great job, they don’t have to do this,” Aleria said. “The City of Medical Lake has really stepped up and there’s great organizations (here) like Re*Imagine Medical Lake. They’ve gone above and beyond to help their community.”
