Wenatchee approves Broadview wildfire plan; prescribed burn moves to spring

WENATCHEE — A prescribed burn planned for the drainage near Wenatchee’s Broadview neighborhood has been postponed until spring, but the City Council has approved an agreement to move forward with a broader effort to reduce wildfire fuels and restore the landscape.

Council members approved the agreement between the city and Wenatchee Valley Fire Department at their Oct. 8 meeting. The project combines fuels reduction, invasive weed control and planting of vegetation intended to slow the spread of fire in an area affected by the 2015 Sleepy Hollow and 2024 Balsamroot fires.

Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Director Dave Erickson said a field review determined that conditions were unsuitable for the burn initially considered for this fall.

“We were hoping this fall, because the timing works great for herbicide application and everything else, but the conditions just aren’t favorable,” Erickson said.

The vegetation contained too much moisture to carry fire effectively enough to accomplish the project’s objectives, he said.

The work focuses on the canyon northwest of Broadview, including city-owned foothills property. Treatment on private property would require separate landowner agreements.

The steep terrain is part of the reason the project would address accumulated fuels up to approximately 200 feet from homes. Fire can spread more quickly uphill, increasing the need for protection beyond the area immediately surrounding a house.

“One of the lessons from the fire that was learned was how far the impacts of wildfire can extend as embers traveled into the urban area and resulted in additional fires,” Erickson said of the Sleepy Hollow Fire.

Embers from that fire ignited warehouses in Wenatchee, demonstrating the importance of reducing fuels across the broader landscape, according to the city’s staff report.

For the past two years, the city and partner agencies have worked on a coordinated approach through the Wenatchee Slopes Project. Participants include the fire department, Cascadia Conservation District, Washington Department of Natural Resources, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Chelan-Douglas Land Trust and Chelan County PUD. The Broadview Firewise Committee has also been involved.

Restoration work already undertaken includes herbicide applications targeting invasive and noxious weeds, aerial seeding and monitoring of vegetation growth.

The prescribed burn would reduce accumulated fuels under controlled conditions, followed by additional weed treatment, seeding and planting. The agreement requires a written burn plan addressing weather and fuel moisture, staffing, safety, notifications, smoke management and contingency measures.

“Prescribed fire is not the end of the project,” Erickson said. “It’s really the beginning of the next restoration phase to change the type of vegetation growing in the strategic areas.”

The goal is to establish plant communities that are less likely to support intense fire and can slow its spread. Potential selections include grasses and other flowering plants with lower flammability, along with trees and shrubs that retain more moisture or produce less readily combustible material.

The Broadview treatment effort is expected to take approximately five years, allowing time for the restored vegetation to become established.

The fire department will lead the project, coordinating participating agencies and scheduling the work. The agreement involves no exchange of money between the city and fire department, and the staff report identifies no fiscal impact from its approval. Participating agencies have funded much of the restoration work.

Erickson said the city hopes to extend the approach to other city-owned natural areas adjacent to development, including areas around Castle Rock, Saddle Rock and the future Lookout natural area. Additional areas could be brought under the agreement through written amendments.

The city already removes vegetation around trailhead parking areas and creates an annual buffer along the eastern boundary of Lower Castle Rock next to neighboring homes.

“The reality is that we shouldn’t wait for the next fire to address those fuels,” Erickson said.

Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media