9 national forests will close temporarily
The United States Department of Agriculture is temporarily closing nine national forests to ensure public and firefighter safety due to exorbitant fire conditions throughout northern California.
According to the public service staff within the USDA, state and county roads are open unless closed by state or county officials. People driving on those roads, however, cannot enter national forest land, trails or Forest System roads unless they are among the organizations exempted as stated below.
This closure begins Aug. 22 at 11:59 p.m. and continues through Sept. 6 at 11:59 p.m.
The forests affected include:
• Klamath National Forest
• Lake Tahoe Basin Management
Unit
• Lassen National Forest
• Mendocino National Forest
• Modoc National Forest
• Plumas National Forest
• Shasta-Trinity National Forest
• Six Rivers National Forest
• Tahoe National Forest
“Fires are running very quickly due to the drought conditions, dry fuels, and winds. This makes initial attack and containment very difficult and is even more challenging with strained resources who are battling more than 100 large fires across the country,” said Regional Forester Jennifer Eberlien. “We do not take this decision lightly and understand how this impacts people who enjoy recreating on the National Forests. These temporary closures are necessary to ensure public and firefighter safety, as well as reduce the potential for new fire starts. I want to thank the public for your patience during this challenging situation.”
The following persons are exempt from this order:
Persons with Forest Service Permit No. FS-7700-48 (Permit for Use of Roads, Trails, or Areas Restricted by Regulation or Order), specifically exempting them from this Order Any federal, state, or local officer, or member of an organized rescue or fire fighting force in the performance of an official duty.
More than 6,500 wildfires have burned 1.2 million acres across all jurisdictions in California, and the Northern California Geographic Area has been at Preparedness Level 5 since Aug. 5, 2021, which indicates the highest level of wildland fire activity.
The Forest Service controls 18 national forests in the Pacific Southwest Region, which comprises over 20 million acres across California and helps forest landowners in California, Hawaii and the U.S. Affiliated Pacific Islands. National forests supply 50 percent of the water in California and form the watershed of most major aqueducts and more than 2,400 reservoirs throughout the state. For more information, visit www.fs.usda. gov/R5.