SPOKANE, Wash. — Fire victims in Spokane can now receive free materials to bring their burned properties back to life. The Spokane Conservation District is offering ponderosa pine saplings, mulch, hay and grass seed at no cost to people affected by recent fires.
Organizers reported about 60 sign-ups and gave away more than 1,000 trees. The mulch helps prevent ground erosion, while the tree saplings and grass seed help bring new growth to burned areas.
Dan Ross, water resources program manager with the Spokane Conservation District, said nature can repair burned land on its own, but it needs support. “Mother Nature is resilient and it will do the restoration work on its own, but it helps to give it a little bit of help, so that’s really what we’re trying to do,” Ross said.
Ross said he was inspired to act after touring burned areas just three weeks ago. “For me it was like, you know, what can I do in my position?” he said.
The response has moved him. “I’ve gotten some hugs, you know, people that were just really happy that somebody was thinking about them,” Ross said.
Sheila Grub lost 5 acres of farmland in the Fairview Fire. Because she did not lose any structures, she has not received help from her insurance. Grub picked up supplies at the event.
“For me, as a farmer, that’s my livelihood,” Grub said. “My land actually means more to me than my house, but a lot of people don’t quite understand that aspect of it.”
Grub said she could not have afforded restoration materials on her own. She called the program a glimpse of hope. “It’s kind of a glimpse of hope for what the future could look like, having new growth and not just, kind of, just burned everything,” she said.
Fire victims who want to take part can visit this website to fill out an intake form.
COPYRIGHT 2026 BY KXLY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.
