Wildfires Now Chelan County’s Largest Source of Greenhouse Gas Emissions, County Study Shows

WENATCHEE — Chelan County’s massive wildfires are releasing more carbon pollution than every other local emissions source combined, according to a newly completed countywide greenhouse gas inventory that highlights how fast-growing fire seasons are reshaping the region’s climate footprint.

The report, conducted for Chelan County Natural Resources through a partnership with Sustainable NCW and Our Valley Our Future, found that the plumes of smoke produced by large, high-intensity wildfires have become the county’s dominant driver of greenhouse gases — far eclipsing emissions from transportation, buildings, and other human-caused activities.

In 2023 alone, wildfires generated 1.54 million metric tons of CO₂, the inventory shows. By comparison, the county saw 337,000 metric tons from building energy and 385,000 metric tons from transportation that year.

The difference was even more stark in 2022, when wildfire emissions reached 2.2 million metric tons of CO₂ — equal to the annual emissions of more than 385,000 gas-powered cars.

The findings underscore a shift long discussed by scientists and land managers: as fires grow larger and more frequent, forests that once functioned as reliable carbon absorbers are now releasing enormous amounts of stored carbon back into the atmosphere.

High-Intensity Fires Drive the Biggest Emissions

Parametrix, the consulting firm hired to conduct the analysis, found that vegetation type and fuel density are the most significant drivers of wildfire-related emissions. Fires that burn through dense timber and overstocked stands release dramatically more carbon than those that burn lighter brush.

Examples cited in the report include the 2017 Jack Creek Fire, 2021 Nason Ridge Fire, and the 2023 Airplane Lake Fire, all of which burned through heavy fuels and forest canopy. Those fires emitted 147 to 213 metric tons of CO₂ per acre.

By contrast, the 2021 Red Apple Fire, which burned predominantly lighter fuels in Wenatchee’s foothills, produced just 16 metric tons of CO₂ per acre.

Forests No Longer a Guaranteed Carbon Sink

For years, forest managers emphasized the role of forests as carbon sinks — landscapes capable of absorbing more carbon than they emit. But the new findings confirm that increasingly severe fire seasons are threatening that long-held assumption.

As the report explains, fires now release the carbon stored in tree trunks, branches, leaves, and even soil. In some years, those emissions rival a significant portion of statewide forest carbon absorption.

In 2021, Chelan County wildfire emissions equaled about 7.3 percent of Washington’s total forest carbon sequestration. Looking at a broader time span — 2016 through 2024 — the annual average amount released by Chelan County wildfires equated to about 6.4 percent of the carbon absorbed statewide.

Report Calls for Active Forest Management

The greenhouse gas inventory makes clear that managing the growing wildfire threat must now be considered part of the region’s long-term climate planning.

“High-severity wildfires release large volumes of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, eroding the long-term climate mitigation value of forests and rangelands,” the report states. “These dynamics are relevant not only to greenhouse gas accounting but also to active management strategies such as forest thinning, prescribed fire, and biomass utilization — all of which aim to reduce catastrophic fire risk while preserving or enhancing long-term carbon outcomes.”

The analysis includes emissions within the geographic boundaries of Chelan County — including the City of Wenatchee, which completed its own inventory — and pulls from several years of wildfire, building, and transportation data.

County leaders say the findings will help guide future policy as communities grapple with worsening fire seasons, smoky summers, and a changing climate that increasingly revolves around one variable: fire.