Extreme Fire Danger – Phase C PURs for Wallowa Whitman National Forest

By Shannon Weidemann (McKone) on Friday, July 16th, 2021 in Eastern/Southeast Oregon News More Top Stories

BAKER CITY – (Release from the Wallowa Whitman National Forest) Continued record hot temperatures, lack of moisture, and extreme fire danger throughout the summer months ahead are a safety concern for the public and firefighters. Therefore, Wallowa-Whitman National Forest officials have decided to move fire-prevention measures to the highest level: Phase C Public Use Restrictions (PURs).

Phase C PURs go into effect on Friday, July 16, 2021 at 12:01 a.m. Visitors are advised of the following requirements under Phase C:

Campfires are prohibited. Only liquid and bottle gas stoves may be used.
Chainsaw use is prohibited.
Internal combustion engines are prohibited, except for motorized vehicles.
Electrical generators may be used under the following conditions:
in the center of an area at least 10 feet in diameter that is barren or cleared of all flammable material, or
when fully contained within a truck bed that is empty of all flammable material, or
when factory installed in a recreational vehicle with the generator exhaust discharge located in the center of an area at least 10 feet in diameter that is barren or cleared of all flammable material.
Off-road or off-trail vehicle travel is prohibited, as is travel on roads not cleared of standing grass or other flammable material. As always, vehicle travel is not allowed on closed forest service roads where access has been impeded or blocked by earthen berms, logs, boulders, barriers, barricades, or gates, or as otherwise identified in a closure order.
Smoking is allowed only in enclosed vehicles and buildings, or in cleared areas.

Area exceptions:

Separate year-around campfire restrictions apply to the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area within a ¼ mile of the Wild and Scenic portions of the Snake River, from Hells Canyon Dam downstream to the Oregon-Washington border.
Within the Eagle Cap Wilderness, building, maintaining, attending or using a fire, campfire, or stove fire, is prohibited EXCEPT: when using a wood-burning stove equipped with a chimney at least 5-feet in length and a spark arresting screen consisting of ¼-inch mesh hardware cloth, and all flammable vegetation within a 3-foot radius is cleared, including overhanging material. Campfires are prohibited year-round within ¼ mile (1320 feet) of the lakes listed on the back of Eagle Cap Wilderness permits. Also, public lands in Idaho follow separate Idaho Fire Restrictions.

Remember, “Only you can prevent wildfires!” With tinder-dry forest fuels and high daytime temperatures, conditions are prime for human-caused wildfires. Please be vigilant with other ignition sources too: It just takes one spark from an unsecured chain while towing a trailer, or from a flat tire with an exposed wheel or hubcap.

State and private lands protected by Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) in northeast Oregon follow separate restrictions. For more information, contact your local ODF office or visit the Blue Mountain Interagency Dispatch Center website at http://www.bmidc.org.To learn more about the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, please visit our website (www.fs.usda.gov/wallowa-whitman) or contact your local Forest Service office.