Cascadia Conservation District previews county wildfire protection plan update and $9.98 million fuels grant

Cascadia Conservation District officials summarized the county’s updated Community Wildfire Protection Plan and a multi‑partner fuels‑reduction grant that will fund work on private land and coordination with the Forest Service and DNR.

Patrick Haggerty, forestry and community resilience program manager, said the district led or co‑led development of a 2025 update to the county’s Community Wildfire Protection Plan, which the county commissioner signed last week. He said the update involved about 21 organizations including federal, state and local agencies and public volunteers.

Haggerty described a fuels grant the district helped assemble and that staff said is for roughly $9.98 million over five years to expand on‑the‑ground treatment and help landowners reduce fuels along priority corridors. He said the program will combine commercial and non‑commercial treatments, pile burning, mastication and outreach to private landowners to connect fuel breaks across public and private parcels.

The district also discussed “green fuel breaks” and restoration work that raises water tables and reconnects floodplains to improve drought resilience and reduce fuels in riparian corridors. Officials said those ecological approaches are being used in Chumstick and Eagle Creek areas where beaver reintroduction and riparian restoration help retain moisture later into the season.

Haggerty urged residents to review district programs such as home retrofit rebates, chainsaw training and yard waste collection events and to engage with outreach and funding opportunities for private‑land treatments under the grant.