Hillary Franz

It has taken almost 10 years to build coalitions and compromise on thwarting wildfires in the Northwest, especially ponderosa forests east of the Cascades. Along with an overgrowth of trees and brush, massive mistrust had built up in the past few decades among the logging industry, environmentalists, landowners, the fishing industry, and tribal, local, state and federal governments. The good news is now, after a string of memorably catastrophic wildland fire seasons in Central Washington, the collective efforts locally stand to get a boost from state and federal governments. On Wednesday, state Lands Commissioner Hillary Franz came to Cle Elum to release her agency’s 20-year plan to reduce fire risks and improve the health of 1.25 million acres of forest that her agency oversees.