Due to drying fuels and increasing fire danger, the Douglas Forest Protective Association will implement Public Use Restrictions on July 1st, 2017 at 12:01 a.m. These fire prevention measures will be in place on all 1.6 million acres of private, county, state, Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of Indian Affairs lands protected by DFPA.
While the Public Use Restriction do not prohibit public access to the forest, they do restrict certain fire prone activates which are known to start wildfires. Under DFPA’s Public Use Restrictions, the following provisions are set to help prevent wildfires:
- Smoking is prohibited while traveling, except in vehicles on improved roads, in boats on the water, and other designated locations.
- Open fires are prohibited, including campfires, charcoal fires, cooking fires and warming fires, except at designated sites. Portable cooking stoves using liquefied or bottled fuels are allowed.
- The use of fireworks are prohibited.
- Motor vehicles, including motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles, are only allowed on improved roads free of flammable vegetation, except for the culture and harvest of agricultural crops. In addition, each vehicle traveling on forest roads must have a shovel and one gallon of water or one operational 2½ pound or larger fire extinguisher. All-terrain vehicles and motorcycles must be equipped with one operational 2 ½ pound or larger fire extinguisher.
- Any electric fence controller in use shall be listed by a nationally recognized testing laboratory or be certified by the Department of Consumer and Business Services and be operated in compliance with the manufacturer’s instructions.
The official fire danger for the Douglas District can be found online at www.dfpa.net or by calling DFPA’s 24 hour information line at (541) 672-0379 and applies to the following restrictions.
- The use of non-industrial power saws are allowed all day during LOW fire danger. This activity is permitted before 1:00 p.m. or after 8:00 p.m. during MODERATE fire danger and before 10:00 a.m. or after 8:00 p.m. during HIGH fire danger. During Extreme fire danger, non-industrial power saw use is prohibited. Each power saw is required to have one shovel and one fire extinguisher of at least 8 ounce capacity. In addition, a fire watch is required for at least one hour following the use of each saw.
- The cutting, grinding or welding of metal is allowed all day during LOW fire danger. This activity is permitted before 1:00 p.m. or after 8:00 p.m. during MODERATE fire danger and before 10:00 a.m. or after 8:00 p.m. during HIGH fire danger. During EXTREME fire danger, the cutting, grinding or welding of metal is prohibited. These activities can only be conducted in a cleared area, free of flammable vegetation and a charged garden hose or one 2 ½ pound or larger fire extinguisher must be immediately available.
- The cutting, trimming or mowing of dried, cured grass is allowed all day during LOW fire danger. This activity is permitted before 1:00 p.m. or after 8:00 p.m. during MODERATE fire danger and before 10:00 a.m. or after 8:00 p.m. during HIGH fire danger. During Extreme fire danger, the cutting, trimming or mowing of dry grass is prohibited. The culture and harvest of agricultural crops is exempt from this requirement.
In addition to DFPA’s Public Use Restrictions, the use of exploding targets and tracer ammunition are prohibited during fire season and sky lanterns are prohibited year-round. DFPA and local fire departments will also be implementing a burn ban on all backyard debris burning, effective July 1st which includes debris piles and burn barrels.
For more information about DFPA’s Public Use Restrictions, call DFPA’s 24 hour information line at 541-672-0379 or visit www.dfpa.net.