\u201cOur research shows that ecological forest management can recover some of the water lost due to overstocked forests and climate change, thus helping to support aquatic ecosystems that are dependent upon snowpack,\u201d said Emily Howe, the study\u2019s second author and an ecologist at the Nature Conservancy of Washington in Seattle.<\/p>\n
In numbers, that means an increase in the winter snowpack by 16% to 30%. <\/p>\n
What does the study show?![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IRNNHSOETVGPPETTDK4GIFKHTQ.JPG\")
University of Washington researchers find that modern forest thinning techniques inspired by Indigenous practices not only reduce wildfire risk but also significantly increase snowpack, bolstering water supply in the Cascade Mountain region. The observational data from experimental thinning of 12 plots in Washington was published in the Frontiers in Forests and Global Change journal on March 3, 2026. | John F. Marshall <\/p>\n
Cassie Lumbrazo, another one of the authors and a research scientist at the University of Washington and the University of Alaska Southeast, noted that ancient anti-wildfire \u201ctreatments <\/b>recovered about 12.3 acre-feet of snow-stored water per 100 acres on north-facing slopes.”<\/p>\n
That\u2019s \u201croughly 15 Olympic swimming pools per square kilometer, compared to about 5.1 acre-feet per 100 acres, or about six swimming pools per square kilometer, on south-facing slopes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHere we show that forest treatments used to reduce wildfire risk also help recover snow storage that has been diminished by forest change and a warming climate, with stronger effects on north-facing slopes than on south-facing slopes,\u201d said Lumbrazo.<\/p>\n
Wildfires prove to be among the most economically costly natural disasters, and their severity and frequency keep increasing, thanks to climate change. <\/p>\n
Between 2014 and 2023, wildfires have caused $106 billion worth of damage. Meanwhile, 10 of the costliest wildfire disasters since 1970 have happened in the U.S. <\/p>\n
The Palisades Fire<\/a> that scorched through 23,000 acres in Los Angeles last year caused more than $53 billion in damage, according to the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction<\/a>. <\/p>\n About the study Researchers chose Cle Elum Ridge in Washington as the site. This forest area is at mid- to high elevation, has drier eastern mountain slopes, and is vulnerable to drought and wildfires. <\/p>\n Like Utah, wildfires in Washington typically happen between July and October, when the snowpack from the winter and the precipitation from the spring dry up. <\/p>\n Over the last century, this protective snowpack layer has declined because of global warming, as the study notes. <\/p>\n For three years, researchers gathered data through light detection and ranging, which creates 3D digital models with laser light, and time-lapse photography across 12 plots of land, each one of them 100 square meters. <\/p>\n These plots, located on the north and south sides of the Cle Elum Ridge, were experimentally thinned through various methods developed after consulting the Tapash Sustainable Forest Collaborative, a group of decision-makers from the Yakama Nation, the Nature Conservancy, the Okanogan Wenatchee Forest Service, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. Researchers left four additional plots untreated to serve as a comparison. <\/p>\n The results showed a 30% increase in the depth of the snowpacks on the north-side plots and a 16% increase on the south side. <\/p>\n \u201cOn north-facing slopes in this part of the Eastern Cascades, forest structure strongly controls how much snow reaches the ground, because tree canopies intercept snowfall, and small gaps allow more snow to accumulate where sunlight is limited,\u201d observed Lumbrazo.<\/p>\n \u201cOn south-facing slopes, where snowpacks are shallower and receive more sunlight, solar radiation and ground vegetation seem to play a larger role in how quickly snow melts.\u201d<\/p>\n Less dense overhead tree coverage led to water recovery. And in the face of global warming, this method also promotes \u201chydrological resilience\u201d by creating \u201ca sustainable supply of clean water.\u201d <\/p>\n The study noted that although national regulations for forest thinning focus on southern slopes, which are more wildfire-prone, northern slopes should also be thinned to maximize snowpacks.<\/p>\n What can Utah learn? <\/p>\n More than three-fourths of the water supply in areas of Utah and Washington is snowmelt dependent. <\/p>\n J. Bradley Washa, an assistant professor of Wildland Fire Science at Utah State University Extension, concurred last year that forest thinning did not increase wildfire danger when implemented properly. <\/p>\n \u201cWith smaller trees removed, the risk of fire changing from a surface fire to a running crown fire is reduced,\u201d he wrote for The Park Record in May 2025. \u201cOnce fire moves into the treetops, controlling it is challenging, often resulting in all trees being killed.\u201d<\/p>\n He noted that Utah ranked fourth highest in the country for wildfire risk and advised federal, state and local regulators to move beyond fire suppression to manage this high risk. <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/TLGOPWKX3NA47N3EUCRHOITQDE.JPG\")
University of Washington researchers find that modern forest thinning techniques inspired by Indigenous practices not only reduce wildfire risk but also significantly increase snowpack, bolstering water supply in the Cascade Mountain region. The observational data from experimental thinning of 12 plots in Washington was published in the Frontiers in Forests and Global Change journal on March 3, 2026. | John F. Marshall <\/p>\n