An early photo of a Washington Forest Fire Service truck near a spar tree. The date is unknown, but likely the 1910s or 1920s. Weyerhaeuser Timber Company General Manager George S. Long was instrumental in founding the Forest Fire Service cooperative in 1908. (Photo courtesy of the Forest History Society, Weyerhaeuser Collection, Durham, N.C.)
In the summer of 1902, hot, dry weather turned forests in the Pacific Northwest into tinderboxes. Wildfire raced across southwest Washington; whipped by high winds, the flames spread for miles, burning through forests in Clark, Cowlitz and Skamania counties.
Weyerhaeuser was not yet two years old as a company, but the devastation across nearly 15,000 acres of our forestland from what became known as the Yacolt Burn convinced leaders of the need for a more comprehensive and coordinated approach to protecting forests from wildfire. General manager George S. Long quickly began advocating for change, and before the decade was over he had contributed to the passage of Washington’s first forest-fire legislation, recommended the state’s first fire commissioner and begun a fire-prevention campaign in public schools. He also helped form the Washington Forest Fire Association in 1908 and the Western Forestry and Conservation Association, organizations of private timber owners who jointly funded fire patrols.
The Washington Forest Fire Service springs to action, date unknown. (Photo courtesy of the Forest History Society, Weyerhaeuser Collection, Durham, N.C.)
Weyerhaeuser’s early leadership in wildfire management has only strengthened over the decades. Today, our Timberlands teams receive thorough training in fire prevention and participate in readiness drills before each fire season. When wildfires approach, our employees and contractors partner closely with federal, state and local firefighting crews to establish fire breaks and perimeters and reduce vegetation to slow and contain the fires. We also provide active support through aerial surveys, quick-response teams, tanker trucks and helicopters.
A steam engine hauls logs from the woods through fire-damaged terrain in the Pacific Northwest, date unknown. The salvage operation from the Yacolt Burn peaked in 1903 and took nearly a decade to complete. (Photo courtesy of the Forest History Society, Weyerhaeuser Collection, Durham, N.C.)
“We’ve done a lot of interagency training with Oregon Department of Forestry and other state firefighting agencies, and many of us had firefighting experience prior to joining Weyerhaeuser,” says Ruger Sanow, a former wildland firefighter and forest engineer at our South Valley tree farm in Eugene, Oregon. “We’ve developed a flow that has proved essential for our success in fighting wildfire in the Northwest.”
Today, our teams deploy company water tank trucks and helicopters equipped with dump buckets to fight fires, such as the Lane 1 fire in Southern Oregon last summer.
Even with thorough training and preparation, however, wildland firefighting is often extremely challenging and taxing on everyone involved. Wildland firefighters often work in remote, dangerous and stressful environments — all conditions that can contribute to an increased risk of post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety and suicide. Understanding these challenges, we launched our Fighting Fires Together campaign in 2022, a program designed to increase awareness about the importance of mental health for wildland firefighters and their families.
Smoke from the Lane 1 fire, with a company helicopter visible just right of center. Wildland firefighting is strenuous work undertaken by specialized seasonal firefighters and our own employees and contractors as needed.
Now in its fourth year, our partnership with Firefighters Behavioral Health Alliance provides specialized support and mental health resources for wildland firefighters. Through a free online resource hub, first responders can find specially designed content, including videos about PTSD, depression, anxiety and suicide prevention, along with mental health tips, educational articles and contacts for occupationally aware support groups and counselors in Oregon, Washington and British Columbia.
“Protecting our forests and communities from wildfire is a responsibility we all share, and we truly appreciate all those who work the front lines limiting the impacts of wildfire,” says Bill Frings, vice president of Western Timberlands. “We’re committed to building awareness and ensuring wildland firefighters have access to mental health resources and the support they need to carry out this challenging work.”
