Conservation districts urge sustained funding for forest health as federal support stalls

Danny Madrone, legislative director of the Washington State Conservation Commission, told the Washington State Senate Agriculture and Natural Resource Committee that conservation districts provide the local capacity needed for forest health treatments and neighborhood-scale wildfire planning. He said the commission’s Forest Health and Wildfire Resiliency Program funded by the Legislature in the last biennium moved quickly: $15,000,000 was allocated and spent within six months to support roughly 42 full‑time equivalent positions working in communities across the state.

The commission argues that conservation districts are uniquely positioned to reach private landowners and neighborhoods because they are nonregulatory local governments that can build trust and deliver voluntary conservation, Madrone said. “Forest health and wildfire resiliency are core parts of our strategic priorities,” he said, describing…