CALIFORNIA, USA — USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region announced Wednesday a temporary closure of an additional 10 National Forests, which will now include all 18 National Forests in California, due to unprecedented and historic fire conditions throughout the state. The closure of the additional ten forests will go into effect Wednesday at 5:00 p.m.
These additional forests include the following:
- 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
- Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit.
On Monday evening, eight National Forests were closed. Officials said the "explosive growth of fires throughout California during the day and late evening of Sept. 8 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."
According to USDA Forest officials, the decision to temporarily close all 18 of the National Forests will be re-evaluated daily as weather conditions change.
The Forest Service said it is critical that all Californians and National Forest visitors follow the restrictions put in place for their own safety and the safety of the 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 over 20 million acres across California, and assists forest landowners in California, Hawaii and the U.S. Affiliated Pacific Islands.
