UPPER LAKE, Calif. — Mendocino National Forest district offices will be closed to allow staff to support a neighboring wildfire and receive training in a new permitting software.

The district office in Upper Lake will close at 2 p.m. Thursday, July 8, to allow staff to assist the Shasta-Trinity National Forest in the containment of the Lava fire. The office will reopen at 8 a.m. on Friday, July 9.

District offices in Covelo and Upper Lake will be closed Monday, July 12, and Tuesday, July 13, for staff to receive training on a new permitting software.

The software will be used to more efficiently issue forest product permits, such as for Christmas trees and firewood, as well as for sales of maps and passes.

Following the trainings, the district offices in Covelo and Upper Lake will be open from 8:30 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. weekdays.

The abbreviated hours will allow staff to bring the new permitting system online without impacting customers at the start of the day, while also giving staff time to clean and disinfect public areas at the end of the day.

For more information, the Covelo district office can be reached at 707-983-6118 and the Upper Lake district office at 707-275-2361.