Controlled Burns Planned For Range

SEATTLE  — Federal officials are planning controlled burns on 9,000 acres (3642 hectares) on the east slope of the Cascade Range in Washington state in an effort to reduce the threat of wildfires. The controlled burns this spring in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest are part of a plan to increase the pace of intentionally set fires to reduce fuel loads, The Seattle Times reported Air-quality monitoring and publication on the burns are included in the plan. The U.S.