OLYMPIA, Wash. – Commissioner of Public Lands Dave Upthegrove held a press conference on Wednesday to address the Labor Mountain and Lower Sugarloaf fires and discuss how wildfire season is evolving in Washington.
Upthegrove urged the legislature to restore funding for wildfire prevention and response. He emphasized the need for forest thinning, prescribed burns, new firefighting equipment and other preventative measures.
Upthegrove highlighted the financial burden of wildfires, stating they cost an average of $1 million a day to combat. The impacts of wildfires extend beyond Central Washington.
“We’re again seeing this in eastern and western Washington, this is an all of Washington problem,” Upthegrove said.
Upthegrove emphasized the importance of investing in preparation and prevention to reduce the costs of response and recovery.
“This isn’t about saving money 50 years down the road, the amount the state of Washington pays in response and recovery can be reduced by investing in preparation and prevention,” he said.
Initially, the legislature committed $125 million in wildfire funding for four bienniums. However, in the third biennium, it was reduced to $60 million, with $40 million allocated last year and only $20 million this year.
The Washington Department of Natural Resources reported that more than 1,600 wildfires have occurred so far this year. Last year, there were 1,800 by the end of the year.
