Wildfires, not cars or buildings, are the biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Chelan County, according to a new emissions inventory released in July by the Chelan County Department of Natural Resources, Our Valley our Future, and Sustainable NCW.
The report mainly focused on wildfires in 2023 and used supplemental wildfire data from 2016 to 2024.
The report found that in 2023, wildfires emitted 1.54 million metric tons of carbon dioxide. Wildfires are not only the biggest emitter in the county, they emit much more than other top emitters like building energy and transportation.
In 2022, wildfire emissions were at 2.2 million metric tons, roughly equal to what more than 385,000 gas-powered cars produce in one year, the study found.
The inventory was commissioned by the Chelan County Department of Natural Resources and produced by Parametrix, a consulting firm specializing in emissions analysis. Two local organizations, Sustainable NCW, an environmental education non-profit and Our Valley Our Future, a community building non-profit, also participated in reviewing the report.
This is the first time either Chelan County or the city of Wenatchee have conducted an emissions inventory, said Steve Maher, coordinator at Our Valley Our Future.
“The amount of greenhouse gas coming off these wildfires is unbelievable,” Maher said.
The report shows that carbon emissions vary widely depending on what’s being burned and the amount of energy the fire is releasing, called fire intensity. High-severity fires such as the 2017 Jack Creek Fire, the 2021 Nason Creek Fire and last year’s Airplane Lake Fire burned through thick forests and canopy, producing between 147 and 213 metric tons of carbon dioxide per acre.
By contrast, the 2021 Red Apple Fire, which burned through lighter grass and brush near Wenatchee, emitted just 16 metric tons of carbon dioxide per acre.
Forests no longer reliable 'carbon sinks'
Chelan County’s forested landscape has long been considered a carbon sink, an area that absorbs more carbon than it emits, according to the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. But increasingly frequent and severe wildfires are erasing that benefit, according to the report.
“People think about wildfires in terms of the danger to homes and the smoke that affects our health,” said Marlene Farrell, the executive director of Sustainable NCW. “But there’s this other consequence, carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide all go into the atmosphere.”
Maher said the data will be critical in efforts to secure state and federal funding for wildfire mitigation, including prescribed burns, forest thinning and community education.
“These summers are getting worse,” Maher said. “We need to show why reducing catastrophic fire risk matters not just for safety, but for climate impacts.”
Reneé Diaz may be contacted at [email protected]. Collaborative reporting by The Wenatchee World, NWPB and Murrow College of Communication Newsroom Fellowship.
