The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is calling on state lawmakers to restore $4.8 million in prescribed fire and forest management funding that was dramatically cut from the agency’s budget just as the Pacific Northwest experienced its most destructive fire season in recent memory.
The agency’s appeal comes after the 2025-27 enacted budget slashed WDFW’s forest management, fuel reduction, and ecological health funding from $6 million per biennium to just $1.2 million—an 80 percent reduction. The cuts took effect precisely as Washington’s 2026 fire season escalated into a regional catastrophe, with Oregon burning 2.1 million acres and multiple Washington wildfires requiring major suppression campaigns.
The Human and Fiscal Cost of Underfunding
“Current funding is not sufficient to maintain decades of investment in healthy ecosystems and the public benefits that they provide: protecting communities from intense wildfires; enhancing ecosystems and species; reducing wildfire damage costs; and supporting local communities and economies,” said Cynthia Wilkerson, WDFW’s deputy wildlife program manager, in a statement released with the fall burn announcement.
The 80 percent budget reduction has forced WDFW to dramatically scale back the scope and frequency of prescribed burns, vegetation management, and fuels reduction work on state-managed wildlife areas—hundreds of thousands of acres across Washington that serve as critical wildlife habitat, recreational opportunities, and fire buffers for adjacent communities and private lands.
Fire prevention advocates argue that the math strongly favors investment in prescribed fire: a prescribed burn typically costs $200–$1,000 per acre to conduct, while suppression costs for uncontrolled wildfire can range from $1,000 to more than $10,000 per acre, not counting long-term ecosystem recovery costs, air quality impacts, and economic losses in affected communities.
Prescribed Fire Works: The Sinlahekin Example
WDFW officials point to a concrete, recent example of prescribed fire’s effectiveness: the Sinlahekin Wildfire in Okanogan County. When fire moved through the Sinlahekin Wildlife Area, previously prescribed-burned sections demonstrated significantly reduced fire intensity compared to adjacent untreated areas. The treated zones allowed fire to move through with lower flame lengths and more moderate behavior, reducing the severity of habitat damage and making suppression efforts more effective and safer for crews.
“Prescribed fire is often used after other forest management work has reduced fire-fuel levels,” said Matt Eberlein, WDFW’s prescribed fire program manager. “It improves and maintains wildlife habitat and ecosystem health and resiliency by regenerating important plant species, including native grasses and brush favored by deer, elk, and moose. It also improves access for hunters and others using these natural areas for outdoor recreation.”
Partner Funding Filling Gaps
Despite the budget constraints, WDFW is proceeding with limited fall burns in Okanogan County this season, covering approximately 230 acres at three locations. Critically, the Carter Mountain and Golden Doe units are receiving partial funding through partnerships with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation—highlighting the agency’s increasing dependence on non-governmental partners to fill gaps created by state budget reductions.
While these partnerships provide valuable support, agency officials emphasize they cannot substitute for sustained, predictable state funding that enables multi-year planning and program continuity.
Legislative Action Anticipated in 2027
WDFW’s formal request to restore the $4.8 million per biennium will go before the state legislature when it convenes in January 2027. Agency leadership is urging affected communities, tribal partners, sportsmen’s groups, and conservation organizations to contact their legislators about the importance of maintaining functional land management programs.
The timing may be favorable: the record 2026 fire season has heightened public and political awareness of wildfire risk across Washington, and the documented effectiveness of pre-treatment in areas like Sinlahekin provides concrete evidence to support the funding request. Similar conversations are underway in Oregon and Idaho, where state agencies face comparable pressures and are making analogous arguments to their own legislatures.