Jay McLaughlin, executive director and lead forester of Mount Adams Resource Stewards (MARS), told the Senate Agriculture, Water, Natural Resources & Parks Committee on Jan. 13 that his organization is using community‑based forestry to address wildfire risk, workforce decline and rural economic challenges in southern Washington.

McLaughlin described a portfolio of activities that includes a Mount Adams Community Forest, mobilizing crews for shaded fuel breaks, hosting TREX events to train firefighters in prescribed‑fire techniques, establishing a local prescribed‑burn association and conducting home risk assessments and a free chipping program for residents. He said the organization’s seasonal crew has numbered up to 28–29 people in the field, about 12–13 of whom are fire‑qualified with “red cards.”

Why it matters: McLaughlin said the area is experiencing repeated large fires that have encircled parts of Mount Adams over the past two decades and that local capacity matters for both prevention and response. He described using HB 1168 investments to fund community coordination, hiring collaborative coordinators, crew training and implementation projects that leverage federal Community Wildfire Defense Grants and other funding.

Details and examples: McLaughlin said the organization has hosted two TREX events that included about 80 firefighters, and two “learning burns.” He said one unit on the Mount Adams Community Forest totaled more than 350 acres of prescribed burn application in 2024 (spring and fall combined). MARS has conducted dozens of prescribed burns, completed 90 home risk assessments over two years, operated a seasonal fuels crew that constructs shaded fuel breaks, and delivered homeowner chainsaw‑safety and burn-plan training.

McLaughlin recounted a mobilization in which MARS crew members used their skills to protect a structure threatened by the Bighorn Fire, conducting a burnout operation and dousing a burning door to save the house. He said the organization’s crews and local partnerships make it possible to both prepare landscapes and respond when fires ignite.

Limits and next steps: McLaughlin said challenges remain, notably sustaining a trained workforce year‑round and finding productive work for crews during high industrial fire danger periods, when chainsaw use is restricted. He said MARS has been able to leverage 1168 funding for workforce development and to attract matching federal dollars for implementation, but that continued funding and partnership with state and federal agencies is needed to scale work across ownership boundaries.

The presentation emphasized community empowerment, cross‑boundary collaboration and on‑the‑ground training as key pieces to maintain and expand restoration and prescribed‑fire capacity in south‑central Washington.