Sen. Keith Goehner, R-Dryden/CREDIT: Washington State Senate

Over the past few months, Washington has once again battled wildfires impacting communities across the state. Although cooler, wetter weather has finally eased some of the pressure, this year’s fire season serves as a reminder that wildfire risk remains constant, especially in rural and forested areas of our district.

There are currently two large wildfires still burning in Washington State. The Bear Gulch Fire on the Olympic Peninsula has burned over 20,000 acres and is only 50% contained. In Central Washington, the Labor Mountain Fire is still active near Cle Elum, and the Lower Sugarloaf Fire is now 99% contained.

Smoke from these fires continues to affect air quality across valleys and nearby communities. According to state data, Washington recorded 1,851 fire ignitions and more than 250,000 acres burned during this season—more individual fires than last year, even though the total acreage is slightly lower.

These incidents highlight that fire danger isn’t limited to just one region or season. Even in a year that seems milder overall, a single spark in a vulnerable area can threaten homes, livelihoods, and health.

Washington has taken a comprehensive approach to prevent, respond to, and recover from wildfires. Key elements include:

• The Wildland Fire Protection Strategic Plan unites state, local, tribal, and federal agencies under a shared vision for resilient landscapes, fire-adapted communities, risk mapping, prevention, and coordinated response.
• Align with the 20-Year Forest Health Strategic Plan by progressively treating landscapes to lower fuel loads and rebuild healthier forest structures.
• Implementation of the Smoke Management Plan, which coordinates prescribed burns and limits air quality impacts while strategically reducing fuels.
• Ongoing efforts to reduce human-caused ignitions, enhance community resilience, support post-fire recovery, and strengthen interagency coordination.

Still, gaps remain. Funding, staffing, and procedural delays can all hinder efforts to reduce wildfire risk or to suppress fires.

As your state senator, we need to do more than just react. We must prepare, invest, and act with urgency. Here’s where I’m focusing my efforts:

• Increased prevention funding: I support the proposal for additional millions in the 2026 budget to enhance wildfire preparedness and suppression capacity.
• Faster project approvals: Vegetation management, fuel breaks, and prescribed burns often require lengthy permitting or interagency review. We need concurrent reviews and clear timelines so that critical work isn’t delayed.
• Local capacity and training: Rural counties and fire districts need resources, grants, and technical assistance to perform hazardous fuel reduction and community outreach.
• Enhance collaboration with tribes and local stakeholders: Tribal and local expertise are essential for landscape-scale planning and cultural burning practices.
• Community education and support: Residents need to understand how to strengthen their homes, keep defensible space clear, and follow air-quality recommendations when smoke is present.
• We need a sustainable harvest plan for forest health and economic benefit for our schools and communities.

Wildfires don’t stop for red tape. I often tell my colleagues in Olympia, “If we want to protect our communities and forests, we must cut bureaucracy, empower locals, and invest where it matters.”

In the 12th district, many residents live in or near wildland-urban interface zones. That means the choices we make now about forest management, funding, and fire preparedness directly impact lives and livelihoods.

I’ll continue working in the Legislature to ensure our state is better prepared — financially, institutionally, and strategically — to confront wildfire threats directly. My goal is straightforward: safer communities, healthier landscapes, and a Washington that responds before disaster occurs.