DNR holding public listening session on Wildfire Hazard Mapping in Aberdeen
Published 1:30 am Monday, January 19, 2026
As directed by Senate Bill 6120, which was adopted in 2024, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is leading the development of a Wildfire Hazard and Risk Mapping initiative to enhance wildfire preparedness by identifying areas at risk and providing general hazard assessments.
The project began in February 2025 with regular meetings of a Steering Committee – comprised of agency staff, county fire marshals, insurance commissioners and representatives of counties and cities across Washington – to identify how best to meet the needs of stakeholders across the state. The goal is to support communities, emergency responders and policymakers in reducing wildfire impacts across Washington by creating accessible and standardized wildfire hazard and risk information.
DNR is hosting public listening sessions throughout the state to gather input from community members, local emergency managers, building code officials, fire marshals, planners and other interested stakeholders regarding wildfire hazard mapping and ratings.
During each meeting, DNR will present a draft version of the statewide wildfire hazard map and invite public feedback. The session will include a project overview from subject-matter experts, an explanation of how the hazard map was developed, a discussion of community block aggregation and an opportunity to provide input to inform the upcoming wildfire risk mapping phase.
This meeting is intended to share preliminary mapping results and gather input to help refine the final products. The outcomes will support wildland-urban interface code adoption and implementation and serve as a practical planning tool for wildfire hazard mitigation and community resilience efforts.
The Steering Committee meeting materials are available at https://dnr.wa.gov/wildfire-resources/wildfire-prevention/wildfire-hazard-and-risk-mapping.
A public listening session will be held in Aberdeen on Jan. 22 at the Rotary Log Pavilion at 6 p.m. Preregistration is not required.
