Hilary Franz

SPOKANE — The state on Wednesday issued a 20-year-plan to reduce the number of wildfires and improve the health of 1.25 million acres of forest land in eastern Washington. Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz released the plan at a press conference in Cle Elum, near the site of last summer’s Jolly Mountain Fire, a lightning-caused blaze that burned 57.5 square miles of land. Franz said the plan is necessary to break the cycle of destructive wildfires that plague the region east of the Cascade Range each year. “If we fail to do this work, we face formidable wildfire seasons in an increasingly difficult climate,” Franz said. “Improving the health of our forests will reduce risk to lives, communities, livelihoods, water supplies and essential forest ecosystems.”