A fire level sign at the Oregon Department of Forestry on Highway 22 on Wednesday, September 9, 2020. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
Campers can no longer burn fires in campgrounds in Willamette National Forest, the U.S. Forest Service said Friday.
The agency implemented a total ban on open fires in the forest effective midnight Friday, with no exceptions for developed areas including campgrounds. Charcoal fires are also prohibited.
“The long-term forecast predications point to much of the same for the rest of the summer,” the Forest Service said in a news release.
Camping stoves that use propane or other liquified or bottled fuel are allowed so long as they have an on/off switch or valve. Generators and chainsaws can only be used in areas without vegetation, like on pavement or inside a building.
-Rachel Alexander
