05/27/2026
DFPA NEWS RELEASE:
FIRE SEASON BEGINS MAY 30, 2026.
The Douglas Forest Protective Association (DFPA) has announced that the 2026 fire season will officially begin Saturday, May 30, 2026, at 12:01 AM. All private, county, state, and Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) land within the Douglas District are included in the fire season declaration. On private, county, state, and BIA lands, certain fire restrictions are imposed to help prevent wildfires.
In addition to the declaration of fire season, the DFPA will implement Public Use Restrictions Saturday, May 30, 2026, at 12:01 am on private, county, state, and BIA lands within the Douglas District. The public use restriction level will be set to LOW, which imposes certain fire restrictions on the public to help prevent wildfires.
Public use restrictions will be assessed and announced later for the Umpqua National Forest and the Roseburg District BLM. These fire prevention restrictions are put in place to ensure fire-prone activities do not start wildfires.
For more information on the Umpqua National Forest restrictions, please visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/umpqua/fire.
For further information on BLM-managed lands, please visit https://www.blm.gov/orwafire.
The following fire prevention measures will be in effect on private, county, state, and BIA land within the Douglas District:
• Smoking is prohibited while traveling, except in vehicles on improved roads, boats on the water, and other designated locations.
• Backyard debris burning, including the use of burn barrels, is prohibited.
• Open fires, including campfires, cooking, and warming fires, are prohibited except at designated sites.
Douglas County Parks designated sites: Amacher Park, Douglas County Fairgrounds, Pass Creek Campground, Stanton Park, Chief Miwaleta Campground, and Whistler’s Bend Campground.
Private Campgrounds: Seven Feathers RV Resort and Umpqua Riverfront RV Park & Boat Ramp.
• Charcoal and pellet BBQs are only allowed at fully developed and maintained residential home sites when used in areas that are free of flammable vegetation. A charged garden hose or a 2 ½ pound or larger fire extinguisher must be immediately available. Portable cooking stoves using liquefied or bottled fuels are allowed elsewhere.
• The use of fireworks, exploding targets, and tracer ammunition is prohibited. In addition, the use of sky lanterns is prohibited year-round in Oregon.
• Motor vehicles, including motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles, are only allowed on improved roads that are free of flammable vegetation. This restriction is waived on private lands during low fire danger or when vehicles are used for the culture and harvest of agricultural crops. In addition, each vehicle with three or more wheels traveling on forest roads must have an axe, a shovel, and one gallon of water or one operational 2½ pound or larger fire extinguisher. Motorcycles must be equipped with one gallon of water or one operational 2 ½ pound or larger fire extinguisher.
• Any electric fence controller in use shall be listed by a nationally recognized testing laboratory or be certified by the Department of Consumer and Business Services and be operated in compliance with the manufacturer’s instructions.
The following restrictions are based on the official fire danger for the Douglas District, which can be found online at www.dfpa.net or by calling DFPA’s 24-hour information line at (541) 672-0379:
• The use of power saws for non-industrial purposes is allowed all day during LOW fire danger. This activity is permitted before 1:00 PM or after 8:00 PM during MODERATE fire danger and before 10:00 AM or after 8:00 PM during HIGH fire danger. During Extreme fire danger, non-industrial power saw use is prohibited. Each power saw is required to have a shovel and a fire extinguisher of at least 8-ounce capacity immediately available. In addition, a one-hour fire watch is required following the use of each saw. On BLM-managed lands in the Roseburg District, the use of non-industrial power saws or other equipment with internal combustion engines used for felling, bucking, skidding, or wood cutting is prohibited.
• The cutting, grinding, or welding of metal for non-industrial purposes is allowed all day during LOW fire danger. This activity is permitted before 1:00 PM or after 8:00 PM during MODERATE fire danger and before 10:00 AM or after 8:00 PM during HIGH fire danger. During EXTREME fire danger, the cutting, grinding, or welding of metal is prohibited. These activities can only be conducted in an area free of flammable vegetation and a charged garden hose or a 2 ½ pound or larger fire extinguisher must be immediately available. The cutting, grinding, or welding of metal is prohibited on BLM-managed lands in the Roseburg District.
• The cutting, trimming, or mowing of dried, cured grass is allowed all day during LOW fire danger. This activity is permitted before 1:00 PM or after 8:00 PM during MODERATE fire danger and before 10:00 AM or after 8:00 PM during HIGH fire danger. During Extreme fire danger, the cutting, trimming, or mowing of dried or cured grass is prohibited. The culture and harvest of agricultural crops are exempt from this requirement.
• Any non-industrial improvement or development taking place on private property that utilizes power-driven machinery may operate all day during LOW fire danger. These activities are permitted before 1:00 PM or after 8:00 PM during MODERATE fire danger and before 10:00 AM or after 8:00 PM during HIGH fire danger. During EXTREME fire danger, these activities are prohibited unless a waiver has been issued. Each piece of power-driven machinery working is required to have a shovel and a 2 ½ pound or larger fire extinguisher. In addition, a fire watch is required for at least one hour once the equipment has completed work for the day.
• The agricultural use of motor vehicles, including motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles, on unimproved roads for tending to livestock (feeding and watering) is allowed all day during LOW fire danger. This activity is permitted before 1:00 PM or after 8:00 PM during MODERATE fire danger and before 10:00 AM or after 8:00 PM during HIGH fire danger. During EXTREME fire danger, this activity is permitted. If the relative humidity in the work area is ABOVE 30%. The vehicle must be operated in an area where the exhaust will not contact flammable vegetation, and it must be well-maintained and free of flammable debris buildup. Additionally, the vehicle MUST be equipped with an axe, a shovel, and either 1 gallon of water or a 2.5-pound or larger ABC fire extinguisher. ATVs must have a 2.5-pound or larger ABC fire extinguisher.
• The use of Fuel-powered generators may be operated in a cleared area free of flammable vegetation all day during LOW fire danger. The use of a generator is permitted before 1:00 PM or after 8:00 PM during MODERATE fire danger and before 10:00 AM or after 8:00 PM during HIGH fire danger. During EXTREME fire danger, these activities are prohibited unless a waiver has been issued. The use of generators at residential homesites, when used in a cleared area that is free of flammable vegetation, is exempt from time restrictions. One shovel and one 2 ½ pound or larger ABC fire extinguisher must be immediately available.
The declaration of fire season also means the start of industrial fire regulations. On Saturday, May 30, 2026, at 12:01 am, all lands within the Douglas District will also go into Industrial Fire Precaution Level 1 (IFPL I), in regulated use areas DG-1, DG-2, UA-1, UA-2 and all forestland within one-eight mile thereof.
During IFPL I, smoking is prohibited while working on or traveling through an industrial operation. In addition, specified fire tools and suppression equipment must be on-site and ready for use at all industrial operations and a fire watch is required once work has been completed for the day.
Additional fire restrictions or closures may be in place through private industrial landowners or other public land management agencies on their own or managed lands. For more information about public and industrial fire restrictions, visit the following sites:
• Douglas Forest Protective Association: www.dfpa.net/public-fire-restrictions
