09/04/2026
Hunters, hikers, and everyone else in the woods:
Malheur National Forest Reduces Public Use Restriction and IFPL
JOHN DAY, PRAIRIE CITY, and HINES Ore., (September 3, 2026) — Effective 12:01am, Friday, September 4, 2026, the North Zone (Blue Mountain and Prairie City Ranger Districts) and the South Zone (Emigrant Creek Ranger District) of the Malheur National Forest will reduce Public Use Restrictions (PURs) to Stage B and reduce Industrial Fire Precaution Level (IFPL) to III. This change is due to lower temperatures and recent moisture. Both Zones will also move to HIGH fire danger.
Under Stage B of Public Use Restrictions, the following acts are prohibited on all National Forest System Lands within the Malheur National Forest.
Campfires: Building, maintaining, attending, or using a fire, campfire, cook stove; including solid fuel, charcoal briquette, gas/jellied petroleum or pressurized liquid fuel or propane fire is prohibited.
Exemptions: When the cook stove, lantern or campfire is fueled solely by gas, jellied petroleum or pressurized liquid fuel or propane with an on/off switch and flammable vegetation is cleared a minimum of 3-feet away from open flame on all sides.
Smoking: Prohibited.
Exemptions: Except within an enclosed vehicle or building, a recreation site, while stopped in an area at least 3-feet in diameter that is barren or cleared of all flammable material.
Internal Combustion Engines: Operating an internal combustion engine is prohibited.
Exemptions: Operating chainsaws is prohibited between the hours of 1:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. Chainsaw use is allowed at all other hours. A 1 PM shutdown is required with a 1-hour Fire Watch to follow. The operator is responsible for having a shovel, fire extinguisher, and/ or gallon of water readily accessible at all times.
Generators must be equipped with a spark arrestor and used in an area that is cleared at least 10-foot in diameter of all flammable material.
Welding: Operating an acetylene or other torch with an open flame is prohibited.
Explosives: Using explosives is prohibited.
Use of vehicles off National Forest System roads: Prohibited off National Forest System trails and roads.
Exemptions: Parking in an area devoid of vegetation within 10-feet of the roadway or minimum travel over bare mineral soil to access dispersed camping.
Under Industrial Fire Precaution Level (IFPL) III: the following are prohibited except as indicated:
Cable yarding – except that gravity operated logging systems employing nonmotorized carriages or approved motorized carriages may operate between 8 p.m. and 1 p.m. when all block and moving lines, except for the line between the carriage and the chokers, are suspended ten feet above the ground;
Power saws – except power saws may be used at loading sites and on tractor/skidder operations between the hours of 8 p.m. and 1 p.m. local time.
When the fire danger is High - fires can start easily from most causes and small fuels (such as grasses and needles) will ignite readily. Unattended campfires and brush fires are likely to escape. Fires will spread easily, with some areas of high-intensity burning on slopes or concentrated fuels. Fires can become serious and difficult to control unless they are put out while they are still small.
For additional information about Fire Danger, Public Use Restrictions, and Industrial Fire Precaution Levels, visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/r06/malheur/fire/prevention or call our office at 541-575-3000.
About the Forest Service: The USDA Forest Service has for more than 100 years brought people and communities together to answer the call of conservation. Grounded in world-class science and technology– and rooted in communities–the Forest Service connects people to nature and to each other. The Forest Service cares for shared natural resources in ways that promote lasting economic, ecological, and social vitality. The agency manages 193 million acres of public land, provides assistance to state and private landowners, maintains the largest wildland fire and forestry research organizations in the world. The Forest Service also has either a direct or indirect role in stewardship of about 900 million forested acres within the U.S., of which over 130 million acres are urban forests where most Americans live.
Fire RestrictionsCurrent fire danger levels can be found near the top of the webpage in the Alerts and Fire Danger status.Industrial Fire Precaution Levels (IFPL) and current public use restrictions at Malheur National Forest.North Zone:Blue Mountain &Prairie City Ranger DistrictsSouth Zone:Emigrant...
