Forest Service News Release

Media Contact:

Will Rubin

DNR Communications Manager

Phone: 360-764-0854

[email protected]

Jon McMillan

Director, Office of Communication and Community Engagement

Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Region

Phone: 503-964-1425

[email protected]

Department of Natural Resources Partners with USDA Forest Service on Central Washington Initiative

State and Federal leaders signed a Memorandum of Understanding to restore forest health on 350,000 acres over the next decade and will visit major restoration project on Thursday

OLYMPIA (June 13, 2022)– The Washington Department of Natural Resources and Forest Service Pacific Northwest Region will collaborate over the next decade to complete 350,000 acres of landscape restoration and wildfire risk reduction on the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest. This collaboration – known as the Central Washington Initiative – will be implemented as part of the federal government’s 10-Year Wildfire Crisis Strategy with funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz and Regional Forester Glenn Casamassa have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to formalize the ongoing partnership between DNR and Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest (Forest), as well as their shared commitment to increasing the pace and scale of forest restoration in Central Washington.

“The Central Washington Initiative adds to the already impressive list of transformative actions we and our partners have taken to address the wildfire and forest health crisis in the Evergreen State,” said Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz. “We have already made great progress working across all land types to reduce wildfire risk and restore forest health on hundreds of thousands of acres.

We worked tirelessly last year to secure unprecedented funding for wildfire response and forest health with House Bill 1168. Adding the Central Washington Initiative and funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will help us treat unhealthy forests at the pace needed to protect our most vulnerable communities.”

The Central Washington Initiative landscape stretches from Winthrop to Naches and includes lands managed by DNR, the Forest, and their partners. The agencies will jointly treat approximately 35,000 acres per year using the all lands, all hands approach central to Washington state’s 20-Year Forest Health Strategic Plan: Central and Eastern Washington. This strategic plan, introduced in 2017, sets a goal of restoring the health of 1.25 million acres of state, federal, Tribal, and private land.

“The Forest and DNR have a history of successful partnership in Central Washington,” said Okanogan-Wenatchee Forest Supervisor Kristin Bail. “We are excited to build on our previous successes with this commitment to the Central Washington Initiative landscape. The Central Washington Initiative will join targeted investments from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, House Bill 1168, and other sources at a scale needed to address the risk of large, destructive fires, which are so impactful to our communities. An all-lands approach is essential to address the wildfire crisis, and with DNR’s responsibility for forest health across non-federal lands, they are a natural partner for these efforts.”

Tillicum Hazardous Fuels Reduction Project

The Good Neighbor Authority (GNA) agreement signed in 2017 by DNR and the U.S. Forest Service is crucial to the Central Washington Initiative. The Forest and DNR recently used the GNA to implement the Tillicum Hazardous Fuels Reduction Project on the Entiat Ranger District.

Located within the Central Washington Initiative landscape, this non-commercial hazardous fuels reduction project spans more than 4,000 acres northwest of Entiat. As one of the 39 priority areas defined within the 20-Year Forest Health Strategic Plan, DNR put forward $3.3 million of funding from House Bill 1168 for the project, a massive undertaking to reduce wildfire fuels and restore the natural forest structure in one of the most fire-prone areas of Washington. It is a proof of concept for forest health and restoration projects at a landscape scale.

“The Tillicum Hazardous Fuels Reduction Project shows what we can accomplish together when we leverage the needs and resources of Washington and the Forest Service to achieve our shared goal of ensuring future generations reap the benefits of healthy forests,” said DNR Federal Lands Program Manager Trevor McConchie.

Joint Tour of Tillicum Project Planned for Thursday

DNR and the Forest will host a field tour of the ongoing Tillicum Hazardous Fuels Reduction Project on the afternoon of Thursday, June 16. Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz, Forest Supervisor Kristin Bail, State Forester George Geissler, and project managers from both agencies will be on hand to speak to key aspects of the project, the MOU, and the Central Washington Initiative.

Media interested in participating in the field tour must contact DNR Forest Resilience Communications Manager Will Rubin by 4 p.m. on Tuesday, June 14. Confirmed attendees will receive tour details Tuesday afternoon. DNR will provide photos and B-roll from the tour upon request.

Click here for more information about the Central Washington Initiative. For more information on the Good Neighbor Authority in Washington State, please visit https://www.dnr.wa.gov/GNA. Members of the public can track forest health treatments near them by using the DNR Forest Health Tracker tool.

Follow DNR on: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

Follow Commissioner Franz on: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

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Join us this Saturday & Sunday at the Central Washington Ag Museum.

old town days

The EWE Chuckwagon will be there in a different area than the other food vendors. We will be serving shaved ice on Saturday 10 AM to 5 PM and Sunday 10 AM to 3:30 PM. There is a lot of fun this weekend. See below:

UNION GAP OLD TOWN DAYS & CIVIL WAR REENACTMENT

SATURDAY – JUNE 18

6:00AM-10am Pancake Feed with Union Gap Police Department
9:00AM Father’s Day 3.2K (2 miles). Register now or on site!
10am-5pm Free people wagon tours
9am-5pm Education Station Scavenger Hunt brought to you by Vic’s Auto & Supply
9am – 5pm Reenactment Camps Open
10am – 5pm Food vendors open
10am – 5pm Museum exhibits open
10am – 4pm Letterpress Museum open – print a Wanted Poster with your name!
11:00am Reenactment Battle
10am – 1pm Free Kiddie Train Rides
1:30pm The Pirate Magic Show! Kids love it!
3:00pm Reenactment Battle
5:00pm Reenactment camps closed for the day
Demonstrations
– Sawmill Demonstrations
– Blacksmith Demonstrations
– Working Apple Line
6:30pm-8:30pm Civil War/Old Time Dance – Public Welcome. Pavilion by Union Camp

SUNDAY – JUNE 19

9am – 2pm Education Station Scavenger Hunt
9am – 3:30pm Reenactment Camps Open
9am Camp Church Services – public welcome
10am-3:30pm Food and Vendors open
11am-2pm Museum exhibits open
10am-2pm Free Kiddie Train Rides
10am-2pm Free People Wagon Tours
10am – 3pm Letterpress Museum open – print a Wanted Poster with your name!
11:00am Reenactment Battle
2:00pm Reenactment Battle
3:30pm Event ends. Thanks for coming!

Graham Family Farm NW

#throwbackthursday > June 2012, EWA 4W613 Trail Work Party

#throwbackthursday –
June 2012, EWA 4W613 Trail Work Party.

PHOTOS > Graham Family Farm: Farm Work

Farm Work