Cantwell & Colleagues Defend Crucial WA Wildfire Labs from Closures as Wildfire Season Begins

06.17.26 Cantwell & Colleagues Defend Crucial WA Wildfire Labs from Closures as Wildfire Season Begins Labs in Seattle & Wenatchee are among the 57 federal forest research stations on the chopping block under Trump’s Forest Service; New wildfire maps predict almost all of WA will be under severe threat through September; Near Spokane, a fast-moving wildfire has burned multiple homes and forced thousands to evacuate; “Now is not the time to shutter federal labs that support smoke forecasts and wildfire prevention,” WA lawmakers write in letter to USDA & USFS leadership WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell, a senior member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, led eight of her colleagues from Washington state in sending a letter to U.S. Forest Service (USFS) Chief Tom Schultz and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins opposing the proposed closure of the Forestry Sciences Laboratory in Wenatchee and the Pacific Wildland Fire Sciences Laboratory in Seattle, both of which conduct crucial science for wildfire prevention and forecasting. “Now is not the time to shutter federal labs that support smoke forecasts and wildfire prevention. On June 1, 2026, the National Interagency Coordination Center issued an updated Significant Wildland Fire Potential Outlook and predicted the entire State of Washington will face above average threat of severe wildfire for much of the summer and through September. Closing the Seattle and Wenatchee Forest Service labs will leave communities throughout the Pacific Northwest vulnerable to wildfires that can cost lives and cause devastating property damage,” the lawmakers wrote. New wildfire outlook maps issued this month by the National Interagency Coordination Center indicate that Eastern Washington and Eastern Oregon are under an elevated wildfire risk in June and July. That threat escalates to encompass the entirety of both states along with large portions of Idaho, California, and Nevada in August and September. Right now, a fast-moving wildfire that forced the evacuation of nearly 12,000 residents and threatens more than 2,000 homes continues to burn in the Beacon Hill neighborhood near Spokane Valley. The Upriver Fire has burned homes and structures on over 220 acres in Northeast Spokane, and the fire is 10% contained. Over 1,500 Spokane residents are experiencing power outages. In addition, there are at least five active wildfires in Central and Eastern Washington. The Seattle lab researches wildland fire smoke and its impact on public health. A key function of this lab is to issue wildfire smoke forecasts, which help all levels of government plan for evacuations and issue air quality warnings. The Wenatchee lab conducts essential research on wildfire prevention and mitigation, developing management strategies for forests that are becoming drier due to changes in water availability and extended drought conditions. Without the laboratory’s research on best management practices for drier forests, state and local governments across the West will struggle to develop effective management plans. Rollins’ and Schultz’s agencies, the lawmakers continued, “ have proposed closing 57 Research and Development (R&D) facilities and maintaining 20 as part of the larger effort to reorganize the Forest Service. Since the plan was released on March 31, 2026, Chief Tom Schultz has testified before multiple congressional committees of jurisdiction that decisions have not been made on lab closures. At the same time, the President’s Fiscal Year 2027 Budget proposes eliminating Forest Service R&D capabilities. These are conflicting messages that have left those on the front lines managing our forests and fighting fires confused. This has also left them deeply concerned about losing vital land management and public health science that guides decisions on how best to protect communities that are at risk from wildfire and smoke.” “Closing the Pacific Wildland Fire Sciences and the Forest Sciences labs will halt or impede vital research at a pivotal juncture in wildland fire management and would put Washingtonians at risk.” Sen. Cantwell led the letter, which was also cosigned by U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and U.S. Representatives Suzan DelBene (D, WA-01), Rick Larsen (D, WA-02), Emily Randall (D, WA-06), Pramila Jayapal (D, WA-07), Kim Schrier (D, WA-08), Adam Smith (D, WA-09), and Marilyn Strickland (D, WA-10). The full text of the letter can be read HERE . Last month, during a hearing of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, Sen. Cantwell grilled Schultz on his agency’s plan to close the wildfire research labs in Washington state. “Where are the Seattle and Wenatchee lab capabilities going to be headquartered?” she asked. Schultz responded: “There's been a lot of questions about the 57 sites that we've identified, which included the Wenatchee site that you're mentioning. Specifically on the Wenatchee site, we have not made any determinations of closing any facilities yet. We're evaluating those.” Video of their May 13 exchange is HERE ; a transcript is HERE . Print Email Tweet Previous Article