DNR Cost-Share Assistance for Clearing and Thinning in Spokane County

Washington DNR's financial assistance program can share the cost of qualifying wildfire-resilience and forest-health treatments for owners of fewer than 5,000 forested acres. It does not do the work, and DNR decides each application and states the amount it would cover.

Email us about your project: contact@spokaneforestrymulching.com

What the DNR program is

DNR's financial assistance program for wildfire resilience and forest health, formerly called the cost-share program, offers technical and financial help to carry out forest health or wildfire mitigation treatments or to write forest management plans. It was formerly confined to Eastern Washington and has been expanded to Western Washington.

Eligible owners are non-federal owners of forestland who own less than 5,000 forested acres. DNR offers free consultations to assess wildfire and forest health risks, rank possible actions and then share in the cost of treatment for qualified owners. A local forester meets with the owner, and consultations typically take between 30 minutes and two hours depending on property size.

This page describes what DNR's own pages say. It does not decide whether any project qualifies, and it does not say that forestry mulching or any other method is covered.

When people look into this

A landowner has less than 5,000 forested acres and wants help with cost.
A thinning or fuel reduction project is being priced.
A landowner wants a forest stewardship or management plan.
A landowner is not sure whether land counts as forestland.
A landowner wants to do some work themselves.
A neighbor mentioned a DNR forester visit.

What the work usually looks like

Contact DNR. For Spokane County, DNR's Northeast Region handles the program.
Ask for a consultation. A forester meets you on the land.
Get a plan. Treatments are ranked for your land.
Apply for cost-share. DNR decides and states the amount it would cover.
Wait for DNR's decision. DNR tells you whether the application was approved and the amount it would cover.
Do the work and get reimbursed. DNR gives details on how reimbursement works.

How to prepare

Before work starts, it helps to settle these points:

Count your forested acres and whether any are federal.
Contact DNR's Northeast Region at ne_loa@dnr.wa.gov.
Ask what treatments are eligible on your land.
Ask what the cost-share amount would be.
Ask DNR whether work that starts before its decision can be reimbursed.
Ask what records DNR needs for reimbursement.
Ask about doing some work yourself.
Keep all paperwork.

What affects the cost

DNR shares the cost of qualifying work up to a predetermined amount, and you are told the amount when you are told whether the application is approved. Prices vary with the land, the equipment and the work. A Forest Service research bulletin says mastication costs vary widely with the equipment, the terrain, site conditions and operator skill.

Treatment type. Thinning, pruning ladder fuels and other treatments differ.
Area. More acres means more work and a different cost-share request.
Approved amount. DNR sets the amount it will cover.
Doing the work yourself. DNR says qualified owners may do the work and be reimbursed.
Timing. Approval typically takes 1 to 2 weeks, per DNR.
Other permits. Forest Practices or county permits may apply.
Your share. The part not covered by DNR.

What to have ready for the call

Have your parcel number, your forested acreage and a short description of what you want done. Say whether any of your land is federal, because the program is for non-federal owners. Say what treatments you are thinking about, for example thinning or clearing brush near buildings, and ask which of them DNR counts.

Write down what you are told, including the amount DNR might cover and any steps DNR lists. When you ask a company for a price, give it the same description so the quote can be compared with what DNR says it will share.

Local rules and sources

What DNR says. Washington DNR's financial assistance program for wildfire resilience and forest health says non-federal owners of forestland who own less than 5,000 forested acres can be eligible. DNR offers free consultations with a forester and shares the cost of qualifying treatments up to a predetermined amount. DNR does not do the work. The program page does not name forestry mulching, so ask DNR whether your project qualifies. For Spokane County, contact DNR's Northeast Region at ne_loa@dnr.wa.gov. DNR's page says it typically takes 1 to 2 weeks to find out whether an application for cost-sharing is approved, that it does not have resources to do the work, and that qualifying owners are welcome to do the work themselves and be reimbursed.

Forest Practices. DNR's forest practices guidance for thinning says a Forest Practices permit is needed if you sell any harvested timber, if you harvest 5,000 board feet (about one log truck load) or more in 12 months, if equipment will work in or near certain waters or riparian zones (DNR says to call if you will be within 200 feet of any water), if equipment goes off-road on side slopes over 40 percent, or if work touches unstable landforms, cultural sites or habitat of state-listed species. It adds that a county clearing and grading permit or a DNR wildfire burn permit may also apply.

Registration. In Washington, search the company on the Department of Labor & Industries “Verify a Contractor, Tradesperson or Business” page. Clearing and tree work are contractor specialties at L&I, but which one covers mulching isn't spelled out, so confirm which specialty the company is registered under.

Reasons to trust this page

Most rules on this page name their public source, such as a Washington statute or a DNR page.
Cost factors are explained in plain terms, and the only price figure is a general range from a third-party directory, with no quote behind it.
The email address is shown at the top of every page, and the Privacy page says what a quote request collects.

Common questions

Who is eligible for DNR cost-share?

DNR says non-federal owners of forestland who own less than 5,000 forested acres in Washington are eligible to participate. If you are not sure you qualify, DNR's Find Your Forester tool can put you in touch with a forester near you who can help determine eligibility. For Spokane County, contact DNR's Northeast Region at ne_loa@dnr.wa.gov.

Does DNR do the work?

No. DNR says it does not have resources to do the work, but will share the cost of qualifying work up to a predetermined amount. You are told the amount when you are told whether your application was approved. Qualifying owners may do the work themselves instead of hiring it out and be reimbursed.

Does cost-share cover forestry mulching?

DNR's page does not name forestry mulching. It names thinning and pruning ladder fuels as examples of reducing overcrowding and wildfire risk. Ask DNR whether your project and method qualify before hiring anyone, and get its answer in writing so you can show it to whoever prices the work.

When should I apply?

Ask DNR first. Its page describes a consultation, an application and then notice of whether the application was approved and the amount it would cover, which typically takes 1 to 2 weeks. Ask DNR whether work that starts before that decision can be reimbursed, and keep its answer in writing.

What does a DNR consultation involve?

A local forester meets you on your land to look at wildfire and forest health risks, rank actions you can take and discuss cost-sharing. DNR says consultations typically take between 30 minutes and two hours depending on the size of the property, and are free. DNR contacts people in the order inquiries were received.

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