August 27, 2021 3:15 a.m. 

As hunters gear up for the opening weekend of bow season, fire officials with the Douglas Forest Protective Association are asking hunters and other forest users to know the current fire restrictions before they head to the woods.

Under DFPA’s Public Use Restrictions, smoking is prohibited in wildland areas, except inside vehicles. Open fires are prohibited, including campfires, cooking fires, and warming fires. The only exception is at designated campgrounds. Portable cooking stoves using liquified or bottled fuels are allowed elsewhere.

DFPA’s Public Use Restrictions also restrict vehicle use in wildland areas. All vehicles, including dirt bikes and all-terrain vehicles that are traveling in wildland areas must have a good working exhaust system and stay on improved roads that are free of flammable vegetation. Off road driving and trail riding, is prohibited. In addition, each vehicle must be equipped with an axe, a shovel and a gallon of water or a 2.5 pound or larger fire extinguisher.

Other activities that are currently restricted or prohibited include the use of power saws for non-industrial purposes and the use of fireworks, tracer ammunition, exploding targets and sky lanterns.

In addition to DFPA’s Public Use Restrictions, industrial landowners and public land management agencies may have additional fire restrictions or closures in place on the lands they own and manage. Those can be found at: https://ofic.com/private-forestland-closures/