COS 237-1 - The Work of Wildfire in restoring landscapes: Lessons from the 2021 and 2022 fires seasons in Washington State

Abstract: Although the pace and scale of landscape restoration treatments is increasing across the western US, wildfires are affecting many more acres with positive and negative ecological and social outcomes. Managers, scientists, and stakeholders are thus developing methods to reframe wildfire effects in terms of the “work” of wildfire relative to restoration, climate adaptation, and wildfire risk reduction goals. In 2021, over 180,000 ha burned across eastern Washington affecting many areas where landscape evaluations and restoration planning process were underway for Washington’s 20-Year Forest Health Strategic Plan. To better understand the effects of these fires, we piloted a rapid assessment to evaluate the work of wildfire – i.e., the degree to which fire effects were consistent with the objectives of the 20-Year Plan. In 2022, a record number of hectares burned in western Washington, where fire plays a very different ecological role in forests. Here, we present results from the 2021 and 2022 fires across eastern and western Washington. We highlight how wildfires have both positive and negative effects, depending on location, forest type, and landowner objectives. In eastern Washington in 2021, uncharacteristically severe impacts occurred in dry forests and portions of moist forests. High-severity fire ( >75% tree mortality) occurred across an estimated 50,000 ha of dry and moist forests, including 34,000 ha in medium and large patches ( >40 ha). Low- and moderate-severity fire likely had beneficial effects across an estimated 93,000 ha of dry and moist forests. Fire reduced fuels and tree densities, thereby mitigating fire risk and facilitating management of future fires, particularly if resilient conditions are maintained by future treatments. The 2022 fires in western Washington created complex early-seral habitat and greater complexity in dense, mid-seral forests, but also reduced late seral forest. Using examples of individual fires from the 2021 Cedar Creek Fire (eastside) and 2022 Bolt Creek Fire (westside), we demonstrate approaches for mapping and monitoring fire effects, evaluating forest health treatment effectiveness, and engaging with wildfire managers to understand how they utilize treatments. Given recent trends and climate projections, understanding and harnessing the work of wildfire will be increasingly important for forest health and landscape resilience.