Washington Resource Conservation And Development Council

a. The Washington Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network (WAFAC) is a peer learning network that supports local action, connects people to resources, facilitates results, and informs on-the-ground projects to help Washington better adapt to wildfire. As of 2024, WAFAC has 104 members from 49 organizations. In 2024 WAFAC provided 17 training and learning opportunities, both in-person and virtual sessions with over 300 attendees. At the WAFAC annual workshop, over 70 local state and federal fire adaptation practitioners gathered for three days to share best practices, learn from peers, and brainstorm ideas for supporting our communities wildfire resilience efforts.

In partnership with Washington State Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) Post-Fire Recovery Program and the Okanogan County Long Term Recovery Group, WRCD staff began a new postfire preparedness and recovery project to compile and create Washington specific wildfire recovery resources. We developed the logo and brand for afterthefirewa.org, hosted 7 meetings with recovery experts and practitioners, and collected and created 5 wildfire recovery case studies.

The Central Washington Initiative (CWI) was announced in 2022 after selection as an initial investment landscape for the Wildfire Crisis Strategy. Objectives of CWI include restoring fire-adapted ecosystems on a landscape scale, building fire-adapted human communities, and improving our ability to respond to wildfires safely and effectively. WRCD supported the collection of data on the social perception of wildfire risk, provided partner liaison support, and supported local forest health collaborative

Provides communities across Washington, with critical technical assistance, facilitation, and resources to help communities reduce wildfire risk and build long-term resilience. This work directly contributes to Washingtons 10-Year Wildland Fire Protection Strategic Plan and the Washington State Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network Program goals. WRCD supported CWPP planning and updates in 17 counties across Washington, providing facilitation, technical assistance, and guidance tailored to each communitys needs. WRCD co-funded CWPP development in 3 counties, hosted 5 CWPP Learning Sessions with peer learning opportunities on best practices and implementation strategies, held 3 CWPP sessions to provide direct support for community leaders and planners, and presented at 4 partner learning opportunities/webinars.

The Community-led Prescribed Burning Program at WRCD is working to reduce wildfire risk and return beneficial fire to the forests and fire-dependent ecosystems in which our communities are based. In 2024, this work focused on supporting the development of Prescribed Burn Associations (PBAs), including seven planning training and networking events that trained over 40 people and launched the Washington PBA website (wapba.org), WRCD also led planning and coordinating Selkirk TREX for the third year in a row which included 15 training assignments on 24 acres of private land, with 43 participants.

WRCD partnered with WDNR to adapt Colorados successful Neighborhood Ambassadors model for statewide use in Washington. The team traveled to Colorado for coordinator training, met with active program leaders, and developed a draft program plan. Two organizations were funded to pilot what is now called the Community Wildfire Ambassador (CWA) Approach in Washington.