The Deschutes National Forest begins a 30-day scoping period today to gather public input about revising Forest Orders for Camping and Campfires on the national forest. A Forest Order outlines what, where, how and when certain activities are restricted or prohibited on a national forest.
Eight previous Forest Orders since the 1990s have addressed restrictions or prohibitions of camping and campfires in very specific locations on the national forest. The proposed revision would take those existing orders and create a single more comprehensive and consistent Forest Order for the entire national forest. In other words, there would be little change to what is already being enforced.
“A more comprehensive forest order, rather than multiple forest orders, will be more responsive to changing recreational use patterns, will minimize or avoid adverse resource impacts and clarify regulations to the public about where and how camping and campfires are prohibited or restricted,” said Holly Jewkes, forest supervisor for the Deschutes National Forest.
The goal of the Camping and Campfires Forest Order is to:
- Minimize impacts to riparian areas and water quality.
- Minimize impacts to scenery in areas with high scenic quality.
- Reduce the risk of campfires spreading and causing a wildfire.
The public can find out more information about the specifics of the proposal and how to comment by going to the following link (fs.usda.gov/project/?project=57437 ) or by contacting Sasha Fertig, forest planner, Deschutes National Forest at sasha.fertig@usda.gov or 541-383-5563.
