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Overview
The Washington State Wildfire Resilience and Forest Health Program, formally known as the DNR 50-50 Cost-Share Program, is a federally funded grant program administered by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) in Washington. It was designed to provide federal assistance to private property owners for wildfire hazard reduction and forest health improvements. The primary goal of the program is to increase forest wildfire resilience and forest health by reducing wildfire fuels.
Many forested areas in both Eastern and Western Washington need treatment to become more resilient to insect infestation, disease and wildfire. The DNR is committed to helping landowners protect their property from these threats. As part of this Financial Assistance Program, the DNR offers a free consultation to gauge your property’s wildfire and forest health risks, then shares in paying for the cost of treatment with qualified landowners.
Reducing overcrowding in forests, through thinning or pruning back ladder fuels, reduces competition for light, water, and nutrients among remaining trees, making for a forest that is better able to cope with threats including catastrophic fire. (Source DNR)
This program does not provide for ‘house hardening’ consultation or funding. For a house hardening consulting on your home, please signup for a Wildfire Ready Neighbors (WRN) assessment.
DNR grant funds are currently available for the next couple of years, and funding may or may not be available in the future. Don’t wait too long to get the process rolling, since it can take some time to organize and conduct the work, and then receive DNR Cost-Share funding.
More information can be found in the Washington State DNR Wildfire Resilience and Forest Health Program Overview.
Eligibility
All Edelweiss property owners are eligible to apply for this cost-share program since all owners own less than 5,000 acres. The DNR looks to create meaningful impacts from their participation in cost-share projects and expects to see that several trees are removed from participating properties.
Other things the DNR forester will look for to qualify programs for the program include:
- Dense unmanaged forests
- Tree limbs that create a solid canopy
- Tree limbs that extend below 10-12 feet above the ground (on all sides)
- Lots of tall skinny trees, tightly packed together
- Spacing between tree trunks that are too close
- Brush understory that could lead fires into the tree canopy
- Trees that are 8” diameter or smaller at chest height
Costs
Tree and forest thinning costs can vary greatly and depend on several factors. Historical cost-share thinning costs in Edelweiss for the recent Cassal/Bitterbrush project have run between $800 to $5,500 per owner, less the maximum DNR funding of $1,200, so these projects have cost around $400 to $4,100 out of pocket. Keep in mind acreage size factors greatly on projects in terms of cost. In the case of the $5,500 cost noted above, the property size was over 4 acres, so cost per acre was just over $1,000, which was very reasonable considering the scope of the work, steep slopes that barred mechanical access, and the remote nature of the property.
Project are pre-approved for DNR reimbursement, but if the thinning final invoice/project cost is less than anticipated the reimbursement, DNR will fund up to 50%. If final invoice/project cost is more than expected, DNR will only reimburse the pre-approved amount.
Although there is no DNR minimum cost or scope for this program, DNR managers prefer to not fund the removal of individual trees, rather, they look to spend State funds on Cost Share projects that make a difference in community wildfire fuel loads.
Can I reduce my costs? Yes! Gather 1 to 4 “like-minded” neighbors in your local area with adjoining properties, and the overall costs for each owner will drop significantly due to economies of scale.
Thinning goals amongst the group should be similar and consistent across the adjoining properties, and if thinning goals and owners preferences are significantly different, the projects should be run individually as separate DNR Cost Shares.
For group shares, the DNR will provide one permit for the work, and your contractor will look at the work as one job. Group projects should have one person dedicated to communicating with the DNR and the contractor to minimize confusion and expedite responses to questions before and during the project. As such, the ‘project coordinator,’ would need to be readily available throughout the project, and at times, on site to shepherd the project to completion. A person from a cost share group, or volunteer coordinator, will also need to coordinate payments from the various property owners. Usually, property owners will be responsible for paying the contractor directly for their portion of the costs not covered by the DNR group shared grant. Please check with your Neighborhood Coordinator if you need help coordinating your neighbors.
Overall forest thinning cost factors can include:
Access: Does your property and forest have clear access to nearby roads? Trucks, chippers, and excavators will need close access to the work to help minimize costs.
Mechanized access: Does your property provide easy tracked vehicular access? Can an excavator easily move onto and around your property? Excavators help forest workers fall trees and move large logs and forest debris to roads for chipping and site removal.
Property slope: Is your property flat or steeply sloped? Steeply sloped properties that do not allow mechanized access will generally cost more to thin, since most of the work will be done by hand.
Property boundaries: Are they clearly marked? Are you working with a group of neighbors in the project, where property boundaries are less of a consideration for contractors? In that case, the outside boundaries of the project will need to be marked, and costs will be shared amongst the participating landowners.
For more information, check out the DNR cost-share FAQ’s
Application Instructions
To apply for the DNR Wildfire Resilience and Forest Health Program, please follow these steps:
- Review this webpage, including Project Expectations and FAQ’s
- Complete and fill out the DNR application, through your contact information. Leave the legal description blank, along with the check boxes, and project description. However, be sure to write your Edelweiss home address in small letters in the legal description field, and lot if you know it. The DNR forester or your selected contractor can fill out these blank fields with appropriate information and responses.
- Email your application to the Okanogan DNR forester to start the process, and then set up an in-person consultation. This forest consultation and tree marking for removal are a free DNR service.
Main Edelweiss DNR Contact:
Blayne Harvey
blayne.harvey@dnr.wa.gov
Cell: 509-675-0430
Alternate Edelweiss DNR Contact:
Sam Halvorsen
sam.halvorsen@dnr.wa.gov
Cell: 509-690-3361
- Select a contractor from the Edelweiss firewise contractor list. Look for a DNR Cost-Share contractor (noted in each listing). These contractors have experience working with the DNR Cost-Share program and can guide you through the program and answer many of your questions.
Ideally, it is very helpful to schedule a DNR consultation and a meeting with your contractor at the same time. The team of you, the DNR forester, and the contractor can then all get on the same page with all aspects of the program. The DNR will provide a ‘project prescription’ on the same day of your visit. Following that, it’s a good idea to walk the property with your contractor and mark the trees you all agree will be included in the project. Following an onsite meeting with your contractor, the contractor can provide a project estimate.
- Wait for the DNR to issue an approval letter, which usually takes around 1-2 weeks following your meeting with the DNR forester. The prescription will be included with the letter, and further detail what the contractor should do in order for your project to receive DNR funding.
- Schedule the work with your selected contractor and keep in close contact to keep the project moving forward at each step to completion.
- Following project completion, the DNR forester will return to your property to complete an onsite audit of the completed work, then issue you or your contractor the granted funds. You will want to check with DNR and your contractor who gets paid by the DNR check. Usually, the contractor receives the grant funds and you will be responsible for the net costs of the project.
- Please note: By accepting DNR funding for a thinning project, owners agree they will maintain their thinned property in a similar firewised fashion for 15 years, unless the property changes ownership. In that case, the new owners are released from this maintenance obligation.
Project Expectations & FAQ’S
Based on local Edelweiss experience, here are some tips and things to keep in mind during your project:
What if I participated in a DNR program in the past: It’s still a good idea to apply for the DNR cost-share program, even if you’ve had DNR thinning work done in the past. When you apply for the program, the DNR will check your property history, and will alert you if previous work disqualifies you. Several Edelweiss residents have been surprised that they qualified for recent DNR cost-share funding, so please apply, and let the DNR sort things out on their end.
The project can take a while to get rolling: Keep at it! It may take some time to work around your contractor’s schedule. Many contractors work with the DNR and other WA State organizations on active fires, and they can get called away at a moment’s notice, especially during active fire seasons. And as veteran Methow residents know, contractors often have long work queues, so keeping in touch with contractors is important.
The weather can affect work: Early snowfalls, like the one we experienced in November 2022, can affect when the work will be completed.
What about tree and slash removal from my property: Trees and slash (limb debris) that are felled near roads can be chipped on your property or removed. Trees and slash that cannot be removed by an excavator will be felled, bucked, and stacked in burn piles to be burned after the first snows of the winter by DNR permitted burn permits (all done by your contractor). If you prefer not to burn, your contractor may be able to have workers remove the felled trees and slash removed by hand, but this will greatly increase your project costs.
What about fir and pine trees: Fir trees can be removed at any time during the year, while pine trees will be removed only if they can be chipped, and if not, they will be felled just before or after the first snows of the winter, and then burned. This is done to avoid the spread of pine bark beetles.
What will my forest look like after the work is complete: Many property owners who have participated in the program have expressed their forest doesn’t look significantly different after the work has been completed. Often, owners request that more trees are removed at the end of the project. Also, by participating in the marking of trees for removal, you can intentionally arrange for natural forest screens from neighboring homes, and these can be prioritized and discussed with the DNR forester.
Will tracked vehicles destroy my property: Contractors who use excavators to access property for forest thinning are familiar with this concern, and their crews will clean up and rake out your property and tracks, so it will look roughed up, but natural. After a season of snowfall and healing, the tracks are often not recognizable.
What does a healthy forest look like:Healthy forests in Eastern Washington differ in many ways. On the Westside of the State, forests are generally dense, green, and are nourished by lots of rain throughout the year. In contrast, forests in Eastern Washington are more arid, with trees spaced further apart with less understory brush. This DNR link provides a good overview of our Eastern Washington forests . Please keep in mind that precipitation levels at Edelweiss and higher – snow and rain – are greater than most of Eastern Washington (even in Winthrop and Twisp). As a result, the nature of the forest will include more Douglas Firs, and a higher density of trees changes, according to Ken Bevis, WA DNR biologist who lives in Winthrop (as per the Oct 8, 2022, Edelweiss DNR presentation). So the Eastern Washington guidance is general our Edelweiss location.
When planning a healthy forest approach to your property, the DNR looks to view and plan for 5 to 10 years of tree growth. During that time, trees will obviously grow taller and become more robust and have wider crowns—which is how far the limbs stretch out from the trunk towards other trees. If your forest is already dense, in just a few years it will be very crowded, and the forest tree crown could easily spread a crown fire—where fires easily jump from tree-to-tree, high above the ground. When prescribing forest thinning on your property, the DNR forester will look to accomplish several general goals, including tree thinning, brush control, pruning, and slash disposal of removed trees and downed trees on your property.
Can I have more trees removed after the marked ones are removed: Yes, in fact many Edelweiss landowners who have participated in the DNR cost share program liked the results so much, they asked to have a few more trees removed. As the project nears and you’ve had a chance to visually look at your thinned forest, that’s a good time to work with your contractor to remove other trees if you’ve spotted a few more to include in the project.
If you have concerns about what the project looks like after your project is complete, or if you would like to see properties that have participated in previous projects, please contact the Edelweiss Volunteer Cost-Share Coordinator (see resources) <Bookmark text to resource section below, on this doc>
Firewood
Accessible fir trees that are felled during your project can be left in a designated spot for your use as firewood. Usually trees are delivered in logs in 8-12’ lengths, and owners are required to buck and split their own logs.
Please note that DNR funded cost-share logs cannot be sold to others for firewood or other uses, per DNR funding requirements.
If you don’t need firewood, fir trees can be added to a community firewood share program. For more information about this program—or to add your available wood to the Edelweiss Firewood Queue, please contact the Edelweiss Volunteer Cost-Share Coordinator (see resources below).
Resources
Wildfire Ready Home Hardening Assessments
What does a health forest look like?
For more cost share information, help with the program, or if you have questions about contractors—or if you find any of the above information incorrect, please contact:
Jay Edwards
Edelweiss Firewise Member, and Cost-Share Volunteer Coordinator
emcfirewisewebmaster@gmail.com
[DNR Information Verified April 2024]