Collaborative prescribed fire is planned for Hilltop as part of a multi-agency effort to improve wildfire resilience, enhance ecological health, and strengthen community preparedness. The project is a partnership between the Bainbridge Island Fire Department (BIFD), Bloedel Reserve, and the Bainbridge Island Land Trust (BILT), and supported by a Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) grant.
Hilltop, a key natural area on Bainbridge Island, has been identified as the focus of carefully planned prescribed fire designed to reduce hazardous fuels while restoring a native bunchgrass and forb meadow community. Historically, these ecosystems played an important role in local biodiversity but have declined due to fire suppression and invasive species encroachment throughout the Puget Sound.
“Prescribed fire is one of the most effective tools we have to reduce wildfire risk while also improving habitat conditions,” said Morgan Houk, Park District Natural Resource Manager. “We are excited to learn from the team at Bloedel Reserve and their experience utilizing prescribed fire to manage their pollinator meadow.”
Bloedel Reserve has successfully partnered with BIFD to implement prescribed fire at the Bloedel Reserve beginning in 2020, including collaborating to support updates to local regulations to allow the use of prescribed fire as a land management tool on Bainbridge Island.
The BILT is also working with BIFD to explore the use of prescribed fire as a stewardship tool, beginning with small, controlled pile burns this fall.
Andrew Fraser, BILT’s Stewardship Manager, shared “Fire has long shaped the ecosystems of the Pacific Northwest, and many of our native species depend on it to thrive. Fire clears out excess fuels and invasive species, exposes mineral soils, cycles nutrients, and creates the conditions needed for many plants to germinate. For thousands of years, the indigenous peoples of Puget Sound used controlled burning to support important foods and medicines like huckleberry, yarrow, and camas, and to maintain unique ecosystems such as Garry oak woodlands and wildflower-dominated prairies.”
Public safety and smoke management are central priorities. Burn operations will follow strict permitting requirements and weather-based prescriptions to ensure safe implementation. The prescribed fire at Hilltop will take place this summer, but specific timing is based on meteorological conditions, fuels, and resource availability.
Smoke impacts will be carefully managed through real-time monitoring, coordination with air quality agencies, and public notifications to minimize disruption to surrounding neighborhoods.
The project also builds long-term wildfire preparedness on Bainbridge Island by reducing fuel loads, increasing local training opportunities, strengthening interagency coordination, and expanding community understanding of fire as a natural ecological process.
In addition to reducing accumulated fuels, the prescribed fire will help control invasive species and aid in the restoration of meadow and native grass communities.
This effort represents a growing regional model for collaborative prescribed fire in Western Washington, demonstrating how local agencies and conservation partners can work together to restore landscapes while protecting communities.
More information can be found on our web page, or by contacting:
Morgan Houk
Natural Resource Manager
Bainbridge Island Metro Park & Recreation District
morganhouk@biparks.org
206.502.3229
Bainbridge Island Fire Department
Contact@bifd.org
206.842.7686