DNR seeks public input as it develops statewide wildfire hazard map

LEAVENWORTH — Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is in the process of developing a statewide Wildfire Hazard and Risk Mapping initiative in an effort to enhance wildfire preparedness. 

The map is being developed by DNR in response to Senate Bill 6120, which was adopted in 2024, in coordination with local governments, fire agencies, researchers and community stakeholders. It intends to help local and regional stakeholders better understand and respond to wildfire risks and support adoption of the International Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) building code.

The agency visited Wenatchee on Feb. 4 to present a draft, explain the development process and seek input from the public.

“We want to make sure that what we're producing is going to be usable,” said Project Manager Angie Lane.

Officials emphasized that the statewide draft focuses on wildfire hazard mapping, which looks at the likelihood that a wildfire could occur in a certain area based on environmental conditions. The baseline hazard map was created with the help of U.S. Forest Service’s Fire Simulation (FSim) model, which runs tens of thousands of simulated fire seasons based on historic weather, fuels, topography and fire history. The general hazard map will not be tied to insurance-rate setting or coverage availability, but instead direct local governments to adopt WUI code regulations in high hazard areas. According to GIS Data Manager Brigit Hill, the final hazard draft intends to assign hazard ratings within neighborhood boundaries in order to minimize confusion and streamline project planning.

“We recognize that hazard is a community experience. It's not a parcel by parcel experience, and so we wanted to be able to create data that represented that,” said Hill, adding that local input would be imperative to establishing these neighborhood boundaries.

More detailed wildfire risk mapping, which looks at vulnerability and exposure, will also depend heavily on local data and community input. The latter half of the meeting was dedicated to receiving public input on local risks and assets. Some of the risks included limited ingress/egress points, terrain and lack of education, with assets including utilities, natural landscapes, homes, lives, historical landmarks and agricultural land.

“That's the kind of data that we would have to have to make the risk map meaningful to you,” said Lane.

Officials said they hoped to have the hazard map complete by July 1. Risk maps are expected to follow and evolve over time. Lane emphasized that the risk mapping was going to be an “iterative process.” DNR will be hosting more workshops with communities through March, with a virtual, statewide meeting scheduled for March 4. More information can be found on the DNR website.

Taylor Caldwell: 509-433-7276 or taylor@ward.media