Elevated Fire Restrictions In Effect At Cleveland National Forest

SAN DIEGO COUNTY, CA – Cleveland National Forest will operate under elevated fire restrictions beginning Monday, the U.S. Forest Service announced. Elevated fire restrictions are put into effect when fire danger levels increase due to weather conditions, seasonal temperatures and elevated risk indexes, such as high winds or lightning.

The restrictions include:

• Welding, grinding, cutting, using explosives and doing other activities that require special use authorization are restricted.
• Discharging a firearm is prohibited except for the purpose of hunting during the designated hunting season as established by the California Department of Fish and Game. Target shooting is not allowed.
• Discharging a firearm using the following ammunition is never allowed, this includes during hunting season: steel core, armor piercing and tracer ammunition.
• Using gas and liquid stoves and lanterns, and jelly petroleum stoves are allowed in all areas of the Cleveland National Forest except for the San Mateo Canyon Wilderness on the Trabuco Ranger District.
• Smoking is prohibited within the Cleveland National Forest boundary, except within an enclosed vehicle or building or within a developed recreation site.

These general fire restrictions are in place year-round and remain in effect:

• Fireworks are never allowed.
• Spark arresters are required for all off-highway vehicles, chainsaws and other internal combustion equipment.
• No wood or charcoal fires are allowed except in identified developed campgrounds and developed picnic areas within designated fire rings.

The Cleveland National Forest is the southern-most national forest in California. Consisting of 460,000 acres, the forest is divided into the Descanso, Palomar and Trabuco Ranger Districts, which are located in San Diego, Riverside and Orange counties.

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