Name

Methow Valley

Priority Landscape Category

20-Year Forest Health Strategic Plan: Eastern WA Priority Landscapes

Description

This priority landscape is 338,246 acres in total, with 182,937 forested acres.  Land ownership in this priority landscape is split among the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest (57%), private (22%), DNR (10%), WDFW (8%), and other (3%). The majority of USFS land is designated as inventoried roadless area and Late Successional Reserve.  Key findings from our 2020 landscape evaluation include:

• 80% of forest in the planning area is dry forest, while 17% is cold forest, and 3% is moist forest.
• Fire risk is variable due to past fires, completed treatments, and complex topography. Burn probability is among the highest in eastern Washington.
• Projected warming over the next 20-40 years will likely shift much of the dry forest to woodland or grassland.
• Treating 27-41% of forested acres (equal to 49,500 - 75,000 acres) is recommended to increase resilience and reduce fire risk to communities using a combination of mechanical, prescribe fire, and managed wildfire treatments.
• High priority areas for potential treatments that maximize forest health and wildfire response benefit include locations west of Winthrop, northwest of Winthrop, and southwest of Twisp.

For more information view and download the full landscape evaluation summary.  Data layers and other information associated with the landscape evaluation are available on Box.

External Resources