Van De Wege bills to prevent wildfires signed into law

OLYMPIA — Two bills signed into law by Gov. Jay Inslee will make it harder for wildfires to spread by removing common fuels known to feed the fires. SB 6121 and SB 6120, both sponsored by Sen. Kevin Van De Wege (D-Lake Sutherland), focus on the elimination of dead timber waste and on the use of fire-resistant materials in new homes built in high-risk areas. SB 6121, signed into law today, should speed the removal of slash – piles of dead forest growth common in timber areas – by allowing an environmentally friendly method of incineration that releases fewer emissions and creates biochar, a by-product useful in agriculture. “Right now, companies have little incentive to remove slash, so the piles just ...

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