The next joint work group meeting is on December 15, then in-person meetings in January to finalize recommendations to bring back to the FHAC and WFAC.

Information will be provided in advance of the next FHAC meeting so members can come prepared to the discussion. All of the meetings have been recorded are will be made available to FHAC for review. Terra expressed her appreciation to the members of FHAC who have invested time and energy in the process.

## 2022 Forest Health Legislative Report

Forest Resilience Division staff (Hersey, Churchill, and Dozic) presented an overview of the 2022 Forest Health Biennial Legislative Report, as required by RCW 76.06.200. The report highlights accomplishments of our agency and partners in implementing the 20-Year Forest Health Strategic Plan: Eastern Washington.

The report is organized into chapters and includes an overview of the Forest Health Assessment and Treatment Framework Methodology, priority planning areas, aquatic restoration, forest health partnerships, monitoring framework and monitoring results, and the appropriations request for the next biennium.

DNR scientists have assessed 37 priority planning areas covering more than 4.1 million acres in eastern Washington. In the next biennium, DNR will analyze 10 more priority planning areas. There are currently 47 priority planning areas that total more than 5.2 million acres, with significant overlap with the DNR State Lands Prioritization as required by HB1711. One exciting update shared is that DNR worked with the Colville Confederated Tribes, and Cody Desautel (FHAC member), to identify the Inchelium priority planning area.

Recently, the USFS released the 10-Year Wildland Fire Crisis Strategy. The Central Washington Initiative (CWI) is a focal geography in the Western US. There is significant overlap between the DNR priority planning areas and the USFS CWI area. DNR signed an MOU committing to leverage resources and help work towards our shared goals in the area over the next decade. The USFS will be investing approximately $100 million in the landscape.

The assessment results from the first 37 priority planning areas show that there are approximately 960,000 to 1,385,000 acres of treatment need. There is a range of treatment need based on a host factors.

Forest Health Treatment Tracking continues to record treatment data across the state, and is a primary component of our monitoring strategy. It is one way to monitor our progress based on reported treatments from landowners, but we also utilize new tools such as change detection to evaluate changes to landscape conditions over time. In eastern Washington the treatment data is summarized by ownership and displayed based on treatments that occurred between 2017 and 2022. Between January 2017 and October 31, 2022 there were 493,460 acres of completed treatments that impacted 309,556 footprint acres. There are acres that receive multiple treatments, which is why the agency is sharing both total treatment acres as well as footprint acres. Treatment data is contributed by landowners based on whether or not the treatment had a forest health objective. There is not consensus on how to define whether or not every stand level treatment is contributing to forest health, which is why the agency is also investing in tools such as change detection.

In addition to tracking completed treatments, DNR is also working with partners to identify planned treatments. These are projects that are covered by environmental review or an adopted plan for private lands. Since 2017 there were 820 Forest Stewardship Plans written on private lands covering 126,066 acres. The USFS has completed NEPA decisions that will result in 305,194 acres of treatment in eastern Washington. In the next biennium, DNR State Lands plans to treat approximately 58,000 acres.