Purpose of this Page

The City of Walla Walla has received many comments from the public regarding the U.S. Forest Service's Tiger-Mill Fuel Reduction Project. This page was created to provide background information on the project and to clarify the City's role in the process. The page will be updated if new information becomes available.

Project Overview

The Tiger-Mill Fuel Reduction Project is a Forest Service project located within and around the Mill Creek Municipal Watershed. The project area includes portions of the watershed that provide drinking water for the City of Walla Walla.

The project includes a combination of treatments to reduce fuel and restore a landscape that is resilient to future disturbances. Forest thinning treatments will be followed by prescribed fire treatments, as funding becomes available, to address forest conditions within the project area.

Treatments inside the municipal watershed consist of hand thinning and mastication, covering a maximum of 2,562 acres, or 11.94% of the area in watershed; and a combination of cable, cable-assisted, ground-based, and helicopter treatments, covering a maximum of 351 acres, or 1.6% of the watershed. Overall, thinning treatments will cover a maximum of 2,913 acres, or 13.59% of the 21,440 acres of land within the watershed.

The Forest Service has led development of the project since the early 2000s in coordination with project partners, including the City of Walla Walla, other agencies, and the public. The project is consistent with the Forest Service's 1990 Umatilla National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan, which includes the Mill Creek Watershed.

This plan is one of dozens of land management plans the Forest Services manages. Besides the City of Walla Walla, many other agencies partner with the Forest Service on management plans, including Ashland, Baker City, Denver,  Seattle, and Tacoma. These collaborations are common nationwide, especially due to concerns about catastrophic wildfires. 

StoryMap for the Tiger-Mill Project

The Forest Service created this StoryMap to provide information to the public about the Tiger-Mill Project. It's embedded here for reference, and is also available on the Forest Service's ARCGis site.

Umatilla National Forest - Walla Walla Ranger District Contacts

District Ranger: Johnny Collin
jcollin@usda.gov

Project Lead: Joseph Sciarrino
joseph.sciarrino@usda.gov
509.52.6290

Umatilla National Forest
SM.FS.umainquiries@usda.gov

Why is fuel reduction needed?

Forest fuels have accumulated in portions of the Mill Creek Watershed due to decades of wildfire suppression. According to the Nature Conservancy, the combination of thinning these fuels, followed by prescribed fire, is the most effective method of reducing wildfire severity, being shown to reduce severity by an average of 72%.

The Forest Service has identified potential impacts from severe wildfire, including effects to watershed conditions, water quality, and air quality. The Tiger-Mill Fuel Reduction Project includes treatments designed to reduce these accumulated forest fuels and modify wildfire behavior within designated areas of the watershed.

Treatment areas were selected based on forest conditions, access, and locations where fuel reduction activities can support wildfire response efforts. Many treatment areas are located along watershed boundaries, roads, and ridgelines, which may provide strategic locations for firefighters to establish control lines and manage wildfire response if needed. 

City Support for Fuel Reduction in the Watershed

The Walla Walla City Council adopts the City's state and federal legislative priorities and approves the City's Comprehensive Plan, which together help guide City decisions related to public safety, infrastructure, natural hazards, and coordination with partner agencies.

The City Council's legislative priorities identify issues and initiatives the City will focus on when working with state and federal partners, while the Comprehensive Plan provides long-range goals and policies related to community development, natural hazards, and protection of public resources, including the City's water supply.

These adopted plans and priorities provide direction to City staff a framework for the City's coordination efforts related to watershed protection, wildfire preparedness, and collaboration with regional, state, and federal agencies.

Legislative Priorities

Since 2016, the City Council has included support for wildland firefighting and fuel reduction in the watershed in its legislative priorities, adopted by Resolutions 2015-121, 2015-122, 2016-005, 2016-129, 2016-130, 2017-109, 2017-110, 2018-124, 2018-125, 2019-118, 2019-119, 2020-121, 2020-122, 2021-153, 2021-154, 2022-120, 2022-121, 2023-101, 2023-102, 2024-100, 2024-101, 2025-088, and 2025-089.

Comprehensive Plan

Current Comprehensive Plan Policies relating to the project:

• Capital Facilities and Utilities Policy 3.1: Protect the City’s surface water supply in the Umatilla National Forest from the impact of wildfires through coordinated planning with the US Forest Service.
• Capital Facilities and Utilities Policy 3.2: Work with State and regional partners to ensure a safe and sufficient supply of potable water is provided to residents, keeping demand in balance with natural supply and growth.
• Environment and Natural Resources Policy 1.8: Protect the community from hazards, including, but not limited to, earthquakes, severe storms, wildfires, and flooding.
• Environment and Natural Resources Policy 1.10: Plan for the anticipated impacts of climate change, and participate in broader efforts to minimize climate change.

City Consent for Fuel Reduction in the Watershed

In 1918, the City of Walla Walla entered into an agreement with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for the purpose of conserving and protecting Walla Walla's water supply. The agreement provides for the protection of the watershed and allows for, "Measures necessary for the proper protection and care of the forests; the marking, cutting, and disposition of such timber as, in the judgment of the forest officers, may be removed without injury to the water supply ..." 

The Walla Walla City Council must vote to give consent for the Forest Service to perform fuel-reduction treatments on City-owned land. This has been done for treatments in the past — for example, in 2020 for the Tiger Creek Prescribed Burn. Since the Tiger-Mill Project is taking place on land owned by the Forest Service, City consent is not required.

Tiger-Mill Project Timeline

On Jan. 23, 2023, the Forest Service announced it was seeking public input on the Tiger-Mill Project. On Jan. 26, 2023, the Forest Service released a Notice of Proposed Action (NOPA) for the project, opening a 30-day comment period. As noted, this project did not require approval by the Walla Walla City Council.

Since some of the proposed work would take place in the Walla Walla Municipal Watershed, the Forest Service requested help from the City to ensure area residents were aware of the NOPA and comment period. In January and February 2023, City staff used the City's communication channels to share the notice of the comment period and a Forest Service open house for the project. The open house was held on Feb. 15, 2023.

The City provided a letter with comments on the project on Feb. 24, 2023, during the public comment period. The letter highlighted the City's support for the project and identified three primary concerns:

1. Establish buffer zones around Mill Creek to prevent runoff of ash and other debris from entering the water.
2. Limit the size of the burns to a manageable area and avoid burning near the creek.
3. Monitor the water quality of the creek before and after the burn to ensure the burn does not have any negative impacts on water quality.

The proposed project was reviewed and approved by the Washington Department of Natural Resources. At the City's request, the project was also reviewed by Northwest Management, Inc., who has consulted with the City on its Watershed Resiliency Plan, and with the City and Walla Walla County on the Community Wildfire Protection Plan. Northwest Management also expressed support for the plan as proposed. 

The Forest Service released the Tiger-Mill Project Environmental Assessment (EA), Finding of No Significance and draft Decision Notice (EA-FONSI-DDN) on Sept. 18, 2024, for a 45-day objection period. Only individuals or entities who submitted specific written comments about the proposed project or activity during this comment period are eligible to file an objection. 

The Forest Service issued its final Environmental Assessment, Finding of No Significant Impact, and Decision Notice on Feb. 26, 2025. In response to the City's concerns, the Forest Service included water-quality monitoring within the Notice of Decision, and specifically identified that the monitoring plan will be developed in cooperation with the City of Walla Walla. The Forest Service also will establish buffer widths from waterways, as identified on page 9 of the Project Design Criteria (Appendix A of the Environmental Assessment). When buffer space is kept intact, there is less of a chance that sediment will enter waterways.

Because the City did not express objection to the project, the City is not able to challenge the Forest Service’s decision not to conduct an Environmental Impact Statement.

The National Marine Fishery Service and Fish and Wildlife Service were among the additional agencies that reviewed the draft Environmental Assessment, Finding of No Significance, and draft Decision Notice. Both wrote biological opinions on the proposed treatments, and the final document includes terms and conditions that address these opinions.

Further City Council Involvement with the Project

In May 2025, residents began regularly providing public comments at City Council meetings expressing objections to the project. In response, staff requested a presentation from the Forest Service  to brief Council on the proposed Tiger-Mill project. That presentation and Council discussion took place at the May 27, 2025, City Council work session. 

May 27, 2025, City Council Work Session

During subsequent discussions, Councilmembers expressed interest in learning more about the proposed treatments and touring the watershed. City staff and Forest Service staff organized several tours: During the week of July 21, 2025, City Councilmembers, staff, and USFS staff toured active forest management sites in the Tollgate area. During the weeks of Sept. 15 and 22, 2025, Councilmembers, staff, and USFS staff toured the watershed.

Oct. 14, 2025, Town Hall Meeting

On Oct. 14, 2025, the City held a Town Hall Meeting to provide another opportunity for the public to hear about the project, ask questions, and provide comments. The Councilmembers shared their observations and takeaways from their tours of active forest management sites and the watershed. The Forest Service indicated they were willing to respond to questions from the City in letter format. 

Nov. 5, 2025, City Council Meeting

At the Nov. 5, 2025, City Council meeting, the agenda included City Council discussion and possible action on whether to send a letter to the Forest Service regarding the Tiger-Mill Project. The Council was presented with two proposed options:

1. Not send a letter to the Forest Service with additional questions and comments.
2. Send a letter identifying specific concerns and/or questions the City Council would like addressed by the Forest Service.

By a majority vote, the Council opted to not send a letter to the Forest Service.

Ongoing City Involvement

City staff remain committed to working cooperatively with the Forest Service. As the water purveyor, the City has identified the parameters of the water quality it wants monitored, and the Forest Service has committed to supporting this monitoring. Work, predominantly burning, is planned in some of the tributaries that flow into Mill Creek, and the City also has discussed including monitoring to evaluate these sub‑basins.

The City wishes to begin monitoring as soon as possible to collect baseline data. The City and Forest Service are having ongoing conversations regarding funding sources for monitoring equipment — a process that is limited by federal purchasing procedures.