Kevin Van De Wege
Candidate for Washington Commissioner of Public Lands
Why do you want to be the Commissioner for Public Lands?
Wildfires continue to decimate our forests and wildlife, and emit carbon all throughout our atmosphere. They are the number-one threat to our natural resources and our climate in Washington state. In the last 20 years wildfires have destroyed 8.5 million acres of state forests, equivalent to ⅕ of the entire land area of Washington state.
I don't believe this has to happen. I've been a firefighter for 30 years, and a legislator for 18 years. I’m Chair of the Senate Natural Resources Committee. I represent the beautiful Olympic Peninsula and the 24th Legislative District, comprising the largest wildland area in the state. I believe we have work to do to manage and protect our forests. I’ll protect forests by using the resources of the state’s largest firefighting agency to improve forest health and safeguard vulnerable communities. I’ll address the urgency of climate change and protect our environment by leasing land for renewable energy projects, while expanding a wealth of employment and recreational opportunities, including protecting our agricultural, timber, and local economies. That’s why I’m running to be the next Commissioner of Public Lands.
How does your past experience prepare you for the role of Public Lands Commissioner?
I have been preparing for this role my entire career, both as a firefighter and by serving on natural resource committees in every one of my 18 years in the Legislature. I live with my family out on the beautiful Olympic Peninsula. Our public lands are the lifeblood of our community. I currently chair the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Water, Natural Resources & Parks, leading the statewide effort to conserve our natural resources and wildlife.
We need a Commissioner of Public Lands who has hands-on experience of land management and a deep understanding of wildfires and how to stop them. They also need to have experience passing Department of Natural Resource request legislation, and a knowledge of implementing policy statewide, which I have been doing every year in office. I am the only candidate with this combination of experience. I have worked for nearly 20 years to build lasting relationships with state leaders, tribes, labor, and rural communities, to ensure that Washington continues to lead with the best land management practices in the nation. We need someone in office who has a proven track record of both understanding the ins and outs of forest management and wildfire prevention, and who also has the crucial experience of working with our state’s original, native stewards to learn and implement their insights and strategies across the state.
What needs to change at DNR?
DNR's wildland firefighters are typically not considered firefighters by law including in their access to a pension and occupational health and safety standards. As the fire season lengthens each year, these workers are prone to longer periods of fire and smoke exposure without receiving benefits in most cases. I’ve been a union firefighter for 25 years and a big supporter for labor and workers benefits in the legislature, fighting for firefighters pensions and safety regulations. Wildland firefighters are greatly underappreciated in this country. As Commissioner, I will fight to immediately give wildland firefighters better benefits and a better pension system, and make sure that the Department hires a professional force that receives adequate training so that they can be better protected from smoke and better protect communities across the state. I also look forward to continuing to build upon the DNR’s firefighting response and to adopt new strategies to lower the risk of wildfire across our state.
The Department of Natural Resources has a large amount of entry level jobs that provide for a stable living, yet has one of the lowest rates of women, bipoc, and veterans in their workforce of any large state agency. As a former union president, I will work to hire a diverse workforce and make sure that these workers receive ample benefits for their work. At the Department of Natural Resources I look forward to paying all workers fair wages and being more inclusive of bipoc communities in recruiting a future workforce.
What is your favorite DNR-owned land?
I’m a big fan of the aquatic owned lands managed by the DNR. My favorite DNR lands are those in the Hood Canal, especially around Shine!
DNR has set a goal of having 10-15% old growth forests within every Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) Planning Unit in Western Washington in 50-80 years. In your view, what policy and operational changes should DNR make to achieve these stated goals?
I don’t believe that there would need to be any operational changes to achieve these goals. Habitat conservation plans are negotiated with the federal government and the Department of Natural Resources should be working to achieve these goals on their own and as federally directed.
What actions can DNR take to improve wildfire resiliency on DNR-owned lands and non-DNR owned lands (e.g. federal lands and private lands)?
As a firefighter, we say the best way to stop a fire is by preventing one from happening. I know the approach needed to stop fires in their tracks as only a firefighter can, including how to prevent fires before they start. In order to reduce wildfires, we need to manage our public lands better and identify at-risk lands proactively, so that we can selectively thin certain forests and construct buffers around important areas. I know we can do a better job identifying old and decaying forests that have a higher likelihood to burn, and prioritize management on these lands so that we can store carbon at higher rates. We need to restore healthy forests, which are more resilient to fire, and hire and train a more professional firefighting staff stationed in every corner of the state.
The DNR has done a lot of work to lower response time to fires, but the agency can improve on this by addressing the need to equip our communities with the tools they need to be protected. Over 90% of fires in Washington are human caused, and working with communities directly to lower this number will provide huge results across the state. Doing this work in communities encompasses everything from making sure new building construction is done with fire resistant materials and incorporates proper buffer zones, to giving first responders the tools they need to protect our most impacted communities, to launching community programs to increase fire safety awareness, to providing free and low cost consulting for people looking to protect their homes and neighborhoods.
The final strategy for significantly reducing wildfire in public lands is to coordinate and adopt DNR legislation in many areas, including bills to advance fire resistance materials in home building, work with localities and counties to adopt fire regulations in local communities, advance the state’s Wildfire Risk Map which I passed into law and have been revising for several years, and more. As a state lawmaker, I’ve guided bills into law and solved natural resource related state problems for nearly two decades. I'm endorsed by over 25 local fire unions (including Seattle) and the State Council of Fire Fighters.
In 2022, the Washington Supreme Court ruled that DNR can consider other priorities in trust land management other than revenue maximization, but may choose to generate revenue from timber harvests on trust lands based on their own discretion. In your view, how can DNR continue to meet its obligations to generate trust revenue while also balancing other priorities, such as recreation, habitat conservation, and carbon sequestration?
The current policy on the way DNR sets forth recreation, habitat conservation, and carbon sequestration is largely unaffected by the supreme court ruling and operations have been continuing as normal. DNR manages a variety of trust lands to produce revenue for public services and they also operate sustainable timber harvests. I will continue to fulfill DNR’s constitutional mandate and ensure that the agency is operating solely under sustainable trust lands practices, while expanding access to recreation and habitat conservation on other lands. The number one thing that the DNR does to promote carbon sequestration is to prevent our carbon sink forests from releasing carbon back into the air during wildfires. This will take transformative work in the department to identify at-risk lands, selectively thin and buffer forests to prevent fires from spreading, and by restoring healthy and diverse forests throughout our state. I’m the only candidate who has both the physical land management and fire prevention skills, and the legislative wherewithal, knowledge, and connections to get this done.
The Forest Practices Board, an independent state agency chaired by the Commissioner of Public Lands or a designee, sets standards for forest practices on private lands. What is your vision for the Forest Practices Board, and how, if at all, do you think the Forest Practices Board rules should be amended to better serve DNR’s priorities such as conservation?
I'd be hesitant to change the rules of the forest practices board because both sides are going to want something out of this change. I fear that beginning the process to amend the board would not bring the changes that people have in mind.
Hundreds of thousands of Washingtonians recreate on DNR land each year. How will DNR ensure that recreational facilities (e.g. trailheads, bathrooms, parking lots, trails) are adequately maintained?
The DNR utilizes sustainable harvests to fund and ensure maintenance of recreational facilities, and it is also one of the primary methods to curb wildfire and reduce the likelihood that trails and recreational lands burn due to wildfire. I plan to maintain DNR’s sustainable and active forest management practices to help pay for recreational needs, and also because they play a critical role in preventing the spread of wildfire and maximizing carbon capture among decaying and at-risk forests.
In 2021, the State legislature passed the Healthy Environment for All (HEAL) Act, which requires state agencies to account for environmental justice in their decision-making and strategic planning. In your view, what should the DNR do to comply with the HEAL Act and incorporate the voices of underserved communities in agency decisions and actions?
Hillary Franz has started working on this during her administration of DNR however the Department is off to a very slow start. DNR has failed to hire diversified staff at higher levels and they are the least diverse staff of all agencies in the state. I have worked for nearly 20 years to build lasting relationships with tribes, rural communities, and minority communities that are most impacted by natural resources issues. I have seen how the DNR has also failed to reach out to many of the communities that have been affected by historical practices and the frustration that this causes in small communities.
Every state agency starts by leading by example. My goal will be to hire a diverse staff that ensures economic opportunity for diverse communities. Our agency can work to lift up BIPOC companies by encouraging BIPOC companies and organizations to be included in our state contract proposals. I will use this office to stand up for economic equality for diverse communities throughout our state, and make sure that groups who have been on the forefront of experiencing the harms of wildfire smoke and environmental degradation have a seat at the decision making table.
Do you believe the DNR should engage with tribes on management or co-management of DNR-owned lands, and if so, how?
There are numerous tribes in this state that carry out timber harvests on their own land, including the Yakima, the Colville, the Makah, and many others. In every case, they all chose to get forest practices permits even when they are not required to. These tribes have far more sustainable harvests than DNR and have far less fires as a result. I am in favor of engaging with tribes on co-management of DNR lands and have been working in the legislature to ensure that DNR works with tribes on forest and wildlife management. My campaign has been endorsed by the Snoqualmie and S’Klallam tribes and I look forward to continuing to work closely with them and tribal communities across the state as Lands Commissioner.
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