- Lake County News reports
- Posted On
Forest Service temporarily closes all National Forests in California
The closure of the additional 10 forests will be effective at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 9.
These additional forests include the Eldorado National Forest, Klamath National Forest, Lassen National Forest, Mendocino National Forest, Modoc National Forest, Six Rivers National Forest, Plumas National Forest, Shasta-Trinity National Forest, Tahoe National Forest and Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit.
This decision will be reevaluated daily as conditions change, officials said.
The Forest Service had closed eight National Forests on Monday evening. Explosive growth of fires throughout California during the day and late evening of Tuesday led to this updated decision.
“The number of large fires and extreme fire behavior we are seeing across the state is historic," said Regional Forester Randy Moore. "These temporary closures are necessary to protect the public and our firefighters, and we will keep them in place until conditions improve and we are confident that National Forest visitors can recreate safely. I ask all Californians and visitors to take these closures and evacuations seriously for their own safety and to allow our firefighters to focus on the mission of safely suppressing these fires."
The Forest Service thanked its partners and the public for their cooperation and understanding “of this monumental fire threat.”
Officials said it is critical that all Californians and National Forest visitors follow these important closures and restrictions for their own safety and the safety of our firefighters. Citizens with specific questions within their area may call their local forests for more information.
The Forest Service manages 18 National Forests in the Pacific Southwest Region, which encompasses more than 20 million acres across California.