No Wilderness campfires

Fire Restrictions Expand to Wildernesses

The Willamette National Forest is expanding public use fire restrictions to its Wilderness areas, effective Friday, July 10^th. This means the following activities will be prohibited:

• Campfires, warming fires and cooking fires, including charcoal fires, portable propane campfires, biomass or particle wood-burning stoves, and wood pellet stoves. It is still permissible to use portable cooking stoves with pressurized liquefied and bottled gas.

• Smoking, except in areas clear of flammable debris

“Since Wilderness areas are higher in elevation, they typically don’t have as high of fire danger,” said Sean Stafford, Fire Management Staff Officer for the Willamette National Forest. “This year is an exception; the current drought conditions and long-term forecast mean that nowhere, outside designated areas, is it safe to have a fire.”

Wilderness areas on the Willamette National Forest include the Opal Creek, Mt. Jefferson, Middle Santiam, Menagerie, Three Sisters, Mt. Washington, Waldo Lake, Bull of the Woods, and Diamond Peak Wildernesses.

For more fire information, such as fire danger levels, go to www.fs.usda.gov/willamette and click on Fire Information. You can also get updates via twitter: @willamettenf