Tahoe National Forest to reopen Saturday!
Posted: September 18, 2020 Filed under: Access, Travel | Tags: closure, fire, TNF Leave a commentPlease read the press release below…
U.S. Forest Service
Pacific Southwest Region
TAHOE NATIONAL FOREST
631 Coyote Street
Nevada City, CA 95959
www.fs.usda.gov/tahoe/
News Release
Contact: Joe Flannery
(530) 715-1949
joseph.flannery@usda.gov
September 18, 2020
Tahoe National Forest Reopens: Campfires, Dispersed Camping, and Target Shooting Still Prohibited
Nevada City, Calif. —The Tahoe National Forest is reopening this weekend after nearly two weeks of unprecedented, emergency closures due to California wildfires and wildfire risk. The forest remains closed until 8:00 a.m. Saturday, September 19, 2020.
Along with the general reopening this Saturday, a new Forest Closure Orders will strictly prohibit the following activities across the entire Tahoe National Forest through October 18, 2020:
- Camping, except within Developed Campgrounds open for public use, within the Granite Chief Wilderness, and within 500 feet of the Pacific Crest Trail.
- Discharging a firearm, except while engaged in a lawful hunt pursuant to state, and federal law and regulations.
In addition, a standing Emergency Fire Restriction Order strictly prohibits the following activities across all National Forests in California through September 21, 2020:
- Building, maintaining, attending or using a fire, campfire, or stove fire.
- This includes all gas stoves of any kind
- Smoking
Forest Service personnel will begin opening restrooms, gates, day-use sites, and Forest Service roads beginning at 8:00 a.m. Saturday, September 19, 2020. Most campgrounds will remain closed through the weekend.
A limited number of campgrounds will be available on a first-come/ first-serve basis this weekend including:
| Cottonwood | Giant Gap | Whitecloud |
| Cold creek | Schoolhouse | Granite Flat |
| Indian Valley | Prosser | Silver |
Please check our website beginning Monday, September 21, 2020 for updates on campground status: https://www.fs.usda.gov/tahoe/
For more information about the Tahoe National Forest, go to www.fs.usda.gov/tahoe. Join the conversation by following us on Twitter at twitter.com/Tahoe_NF and Facebook at www.facebook.com/TahoeNF.
Please be safe if you visit our national forests.
.
Rubicon Ronin
Forest Closures Extended
Posted: September 15, 2020 Filed under: Access, Travel | Tags: closure, El dorado, fire, fs Leave a commentThe closure of CA forests was extended through Monday September 21st.
El Dorado County has subsequently closed the Rubicon for the same time frame. Note that the Tahoe National Forest controls the Placer County portion of the Rubicon, the Rubicon is closed within Placer County.
From Vickie Sander on the Rubicon Gazette Facebook page:
Update: I just received word that the Forest Service is extending the order for one week. Till Monday September 21, 2020. The Rubicon Trail will stay closed until the order is lifted. I want to share with you the factors that go into this decision. The Rubicon is an unmaintained County Road. We have a 50′ easement from the Forest Service. With the forest closed that means no camping and no day use. So this would mean that there would be no stopping along the trail. Once you cross the County line into Placer County you are on Forest Service land, which is closed. Placer County does not have an easement. My last conversation with the owners of Rubicon Springs they were not allowing camping either. So it makes sense for public safety and the safety of the Rubicon to work with agencies and do what we feel is the right thing. These are crazy times we are in right now and I will do my best to keep you informed.
Forest Service extension of closure:
It just keeps getting worse
Posted: September 9, 2020 Filed under: Access, Travel | Tags: closed, fire Leave a commentForest Service Temporarily Closes All National Forests in California
Contact(s): Jonathan Groveman, (707) 562-8995
VALLEJO, Calif., September 9, 2020—Due to unprecedented and historic fire conditions throughout the state, the USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region is announcing a temporary closure of an additional ten National Forests, meaning all eighteen National Forests in California are now closed. The closure of the additional ten forests will be effective at 5:00 pm today. 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 re-evaluated daily as conditions change.
We had closed eight National Forests on Monday evening, Sept. 7, 2020. Explosive growth of fires throughout California during the day and late evening of Sept. 8th 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 thanks our partners and the public for their cooperation and understanding of this monumental fire threat. 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 over 20 million acres across California, and assists forest landowners in California, Hawaii and the U.S. Affiliated Pacific Islands. National forests supply 50 percent of the water in California and form the watershed of most major aqueducts and more than 2,400 reservoirs throughout the state. For more information, visit www.fs.usda.gov/R5.
Camping & Fire Restrictions
Posted: September 9, 2020 Filed under: Access, Travel | Tags: camping, fire Leave a commentAnd if you haven’t heard, the Eldorado, Tahoe and Lake Tahoe Basin are all banning camping and any type of flame, even propane.
This after the Region 5 closed all forests in Southern CA.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/tahoe/news-events/?cid=FSEPRD799358
https://www.fs.usda.gov/eldorado
Fork Fire Update…
Posted: September 9, 2020 Filed under: Travel | Tags: fire Leave a commentThe Eldorado Forest just put out an update…
 U.S. Forest Service Eldorado National Forest 100 Forni Road Placerville, CA 95667 530-303-2412 www.fs.usda.gov/eldorado  News Release For Immediate Release September 9, 2020 Media Contact: Jennifer Chapman, (530) 957-9660 El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office, (530) 213-3899 Fork Fire Information, (530) 303-2455 www.facebook.com/EldoradoNF Twitter:@EldoradoNF Fork Fire Update – September 9, 2020 – 10AM Fork Fire Information: (530) 303-2455 Inciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7165/ Fire Size / Containment: 2,500 acres, 0%-containment – **Acreage is an estimate only; perimeter mapping is in progress** Overnight Fire behavior:There was active fire behavior on the Fork Fire last night with moderate to rapid rates of spread; the fire has spotted into the Rubicon drainage. Resources: 5 engines, 1 dozer, 2 hand crews, 2 water tenders – **Includes resources added since the IAP was published.** Critical resource needs: Type 1 / Type 2crews, dozers, and engines; also Overhead until incoming Incident Management Team takes command. Planned actions / priorities: Full suppression strategy with confine/contain tactics; minimize fire spread within Rubicon River drainage; protect communities of Volcanoville, Quintet, Stumpy Meadows and Georgetown; protect private timber sales; protect critical hydroelectric infrastructure and a critical high voltage KV line that provides power to the Sacramento region. Injuries: 0 Evacuations: El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office issued a mandatory evacuation for Volcanoeville, Quintet and Stumpy Meadows last night, affecting approximately 600 residents; an evacuation service center has been set up at the Cool Community Church at 863 Cave Valley Rd. in Cool, CA. **Please note, the community of Georgetown is NOT under the evacuation order at this time.** Power Shutoff: a power outage affecting the fire area is also causing safety concerns; infrastructure inspections and power restoration where possible will be in progress today Road Closures: check forest websites for Eldorado NF and Tahoe NF Weather:excessive heat, low RH, and changing pressure gradientDry, offshore winds with critical fire weather through Wednesday eveningRed Flag Warning in effect Wind Advisory in effect for the northeast foothillsSmoky conditions across the region due to multiple large wildfiresOther pertinent info: a Type 2 Incident Management Team is enroute; minimal resources are available for the next 48 hrs / operational period; other large fires in the geographical area are causing strain on federal, state, and local government resources. ###  The U.S.D.A Forest Service is an equal opportunity employer. The mission of the Forest Service is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. |
