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Adams Resource Stewards outlines planned prescribed burns, TREX near Goldendale to reduce wildfire risk
Summary
Lucas King of Mount Adams Resource Stewards told the Glendale City Council the nonprofit is planning prescribed burns and a training exchange near Goldendale this spring and fall to reduce wildfire fuels; he asked the city for letters of support for federal grant applications.
Lucas King, fire and fuels program manager for Mount Adams Resource Stewards, told the Glendale City Council that Mars is working with conservation districts and local landowners to expand prescribed burning in and around Goldendale to reduce wildfire risk.
"Prescribed fire is kind of the the most important or the most effective tool we have to reduce surface fuels," King said, describing Mars' fuels-crew work, defensible-space programs and forest-health thinning that precede prescribed burns. He said Mars supports a nine‑month fuels crew and has worked on roughly 250 acres on Columbia Land Trust property and private lands near Bowman Creek.
King gave dates for a Columbia Gorge prescribed fire training exchange (TREX) the organization plans to host between May 11 and May 22, based at Oconee Ranch east of Goldendale, with two units planned there and three to four additional units on Conservation District property pending weather and resource availability. He said crews are red‑carded and will bring engines, UTVs and water resources when burns are conducted.
Council members pressed for details on where burns could happen and asked how the city can help. One council member noted a corridor along the Klickitat River that runs through town is particularly sensitive and said, "If fire started on the West on the West Side with a good wind blowing, it take out half the town." King said edible examples such as Observatory Hill are already part of planning; he said a burn plan for Observatory Hill has begun and Mars is happy to follow up with the council as execution dates approach.
King also urged the city to provide letters of support for grant applications. He said Mars and the conservation district recently scored just below the award threshold for a Community Wildfire Defense Grants application and that the next round is expected soon. "That was about a $5,000,000 application for kind of City Of Goldendale and beyond in Central Click Attack County," King said, adding that clarifications to their application and local support would make future submissions more competitive.
Councilors and staff highlighted outreach tools and programs. A council member recommended the Wildfire Ready Neighbors program and said it is a useful resource for home inspections and defensible‑space guidance. Staff also said the city expects to update its Community Wildfire Protection Plan and will hold a meeting to finalize projects that are eligible for federal funding before the next grant round.
King closed by urging continued public outreach and offered to return for follow‑up meetings. Councilors thanked him and discussed next steps, including potential letters of support from the city and coordination with state agencies, conservation districts and private landowners.
What's next: Mars and the conservation district may pursue Community Wildfire Defense Grants this cycle; council staff said an updated Community Wildfire Protection Plan will be discussed at a meeting scheduled ahead of the upcoming federal grant round.
