MEDICAL LAKE, Wash. — Sometimes, getting started is the hardest obstacle to overcome when rebuilding after a fire, and a new guidebook is helping landowners learn how to regrow on scorched land.
Over the past two years, The Washington Department of Natural Resources and Sustainable Northwest have developed a comprehensive guidebook for wildfire survivors who want to replant their burned property.
“This guidebook really helps direct them towards the resources, the considerations and some of the main, best practices to get there,” said Kali Klotz of Sustainable Northwest. Her family home was reduced to rubble in the Gray Fire.
Released in June, the guidebook aims to serve as a tool for future fire recovery efforts, making the reforestation process more accessible and less overwhelming for property owners.
The restoration effort comes as the community continues rebuilding from the Gray and Oregon Road fires that destroyed nearly 400 homes and thousands of acres of land.
State funding allocated in 2021 has allowed DNR foresters to assess and replant the most severely damaged wildfire areas.
“We have spent the past two springs, both in 2024 and 2025, doing some replanting in both fire scars,” said Mary-Ellen Reyna, a Washington DNR representative.
The burned ground remains arid and rocky, requiring strategic placement of seedlings.
“It’s not as simple as just putting some trees in the ground,” Klotz said.
Foresters continue monitoring the planted seedlings to track their growth and survival rates. Recent checks showed that while some seedlings did not survive, others were thriving.
“A lot of these folks that have forest land have been living and knowing how to steward their land. Now, in a post-fire situation, they require guidance on how to reforest,” Klotz said.
For more information visit www.afterthefirewa.org and to view the guidebook, click HERE.
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