Wildfires

Environment

Steep terrain, high winds, and dry conditions make Bolt Creek Fire difficult to contain

The Bolt Creek Fire started early Saturday morning north of Skykomish. Tesidents who fled the path of the fire describe ash falling from the sky. Smoke blotting out the sun. Highway 2 is still closed between Gold Bar and Skykomish and an evacuation notice remains in place for Index.

Up, up and away. Forest Service looking at special balloons to monitor big wildfires

The U.S. Forest Service is looking at something different — very different — to improve situational awareness at big wildfires: high altitude balloons.

Environment

Listen again: What federal reforestation plans mean for Washington state

Last Monday the Biden Administration announced plans to plant more than one billion trees across the western United States to restore forests damaged by climate change. Washington State is already facing a tree seed shortage, and our state's forest nursery is racing to ramp up production.

Environment

WA's wildfire season has been mild so far, but we're not out of the woods yet

Kim Malcolm talks with Washington's Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz about the 2022 wildfire season.

Health

For the Methow Valley, wildfire smoke has created a 'fifth' season

The Methow Valley starts at the east end of the Cascades, at the headwaters of the Methow River. It includes the towns of Twisp and Winthrop, as well as the unincorporated community of Mazama. Residents of the valley experience the same four seasons most of us do — spring, summer, fall, and winter. But in the last ten years, a fifth season has crept into Methow Valley life: smoke season.

Environment

Prescribed burns are back in Washington state. Why?

Washington state is conducting a prescribed burn for the 2022 season for the first time in about 18 years.

NW electric utilities spending millions to reduce risk of wildfire

Private electric utilities in the Pacific Northwest are planning tens of millions of dollars in upgrades to reduce the risk that their power lines could spark wildfires during extreme weather. Utilities such as Pacific Power, Avista, Idaho Power, Portland General Electric and Puget Sound Energy are either required to or are voluntarily submitting wildfire mitigation plans.

Environment

There's a seed shortage in WA. What does that mean for our beloved forests?

Nearly half of Washington state is forested. That's 22 million acres of douglas firs, red alders, western hemlock, and ponderosa pine, to name a few. But as wildfires grow in both size and regularity, do we have enough seeds for our forests to recover?