DNR opens public listening sessions on wildfire hazard and risk maps under Senate Bill 6120

The Washington Department of Natural Resources held a virtual Hazard and Risk Mapping Listening Session to explain draft hazard and risk maps created under legislative direction in Senate Bill 6120 and to gather public feedback. Angie, the session host, told participants the sessions are “truly a listening session” and encouraged candid comment and use of the online mapping tool.

The session summarized how the hazard map — which determines where parts of the Wildland-Urban Interface Code would apply — differs from the risk map. Matthew Deer, lead wildland fire meteorologist and technical team lead for Washington DNR, said hazard maps show where fires occur and how often, while risk maps combine hazard with exposure and potential impacts on structures.

Deer described the hazard mapping workflow: the team used the FSim large-fire simulator, run against about 20–30 years of weather and fire history, to generate annual burn probabilities and conditional fire intensity distributions. “We run the fire simulation for 10,000 fire seasons,” Deer said, and then calibrate outputs so modeled large-fire counts and burned acres match historic observations by fire-occurrence area. He highlighted the hazard thresholds used: 1% annual burn probability is the threshold for “high” and 2% is the threshold for “very high,” with the latter corresponding to the most stringent WUI code triggers.

DNR staff emphasized practical details for the public: the draft hazard map is posted online and comments will be accepted through Nov. 1; the team expects to publish the final mapping tool and associated data for download and local planning, with a planned live date of Dec. 1. “We will constantly be updating these maps,” Angie said, adding that hazard maps are scheduled for a three-year update cycle and risk mapping is being considered for annual updates.

Presenters also reviewed community factors the team is incorporating into risk calculations — infrastructure and evacuation routes, housing density, critical facilities, and economic and cultural assets — and urged local planners to integrate maps into community wildfire protection planning. Betsy, the session facilitator, reminded attendees that the recorded session and a comment form would be posted to the DNR website within five business days.

Next steps: the DNR will finish listening sessions in mid-August, consult with the State Fire Marshal on definitions of “valuable assets,” continue accepting public comments through Nov. 1, and refine the maps and documentation before the planned Dec. 1 release.