Fire restrictions tighten on local forestlands July 9
The Oregon Department of Forestry will place further fire restrictions on forest users in the West Oregon District starting Monday, July 9. The "regulated-use" closure is specifically geared to reduce the chance of wildfires starting from public activities in forested areas.
The restrictions ban the following activities:
- smoking in the forest, except in closed vehicles;
- campfires, except in designated campgrounds;
- use of motorized vehicles, except on improved roads, and;
- use of any fireworks in the forest.
The regulated-use closure allows the use of chainsaws, but only before 1 p.m. or after 8 p.m. Chainsaw users must carry firefighting equipment, including an ax, a shovel and either water or a fire extinguisher. Fire season was declared on the West Oregon District on July 5. That declaration primarily affected forest operations, such as logging sites, by requiring firefighting equipment on site and precautions against fire. The July 9 regulated-use closure extends restrictions and preventative measures to the public on all private and Bureau of Land Management forestlands in Benton, Lincoln and Polk counties.
As the summer has progressed, conditions in the forest have gotten warmer and drier, pushing the fire danger up. The intent of the regulated-use closure is to limit some of the potential ignition sources of forest fires. Human-caused fires continue to be the top cause of forest fires in Oregon.
For further information on the public use restrictions, contact the Oregon Department of Forestry offices in Philomath, Dallas or Toledo.
- Philomath office - 541-929-3266
- Dallas office - 503-623-8146
- Toledo office - 541-336-2273
