Environment

Fire Danger Elevated In Cleveland National Forest

By Ed Joyce / Reporter

Published September 2, 2011 at 11:18 AM PDT

This story was published more than 13 years ago.

If you're planning to spend time in the Cleveland National Forest during the holiday weekend, fire restrictions have been moved to "Elevated" due to hot temperatures and dry vegetation.

Brian Harris with the Cleveland National Forest said the conditions make it likely small fires could grow into larger fires.

"People need to be extremely cautious while they're out there," said Harris. "We expect a lot of people out in the forest this weekend. We're just warning them that you need to be really safe with fire while you're out there."

Become a KPBS sponsor

He said under "Elevated" fire restrictions, the Forest Service restricts activities which have historically caused wildfires in the Forest.

But Harris said with the new fire restriction system, people are allowed to have campfires at developed campgrounds.

Elevated Fire Restrictions:1. Fireworks are never allowed on the Cleveland National Forest. 2. Spark arrestors are required for all off-highway vehicles, chainsaws, and other internal combustion equipment. 3. Welding, grinding, cutting, the use of explosives, and other activities requiring a special use authorization may be restricted. 4. No wood or charcoal fires are allowed except in identified developed campgrounds and developed picnic areas with designated fire rings. Forest officials have the latitude to add or subtract to the allowable fire use areas as deemed necessary due to fire danger.

Environment

Ed Joyce

twitter

Ed Joyce was the environment reporter and afternoon news anchor for KPBS-FM. Before joining KPBS, he worked as an editor/columnist with Copley News Service in San Diego. Ed has an extensive background in newspaper, radio, web and TV journalism. After graduating with a B.A. in Communications from the University of Washington in Seattle, Ed began a career in broadcast journalism. His work has included stints in public broadcasting, commercial broadcasting and education -- working as an affiliate professor of communication and reporter at the University of Idaho and Washington State University in Pullman, Wash. During the past 20 years he has worked in radio, TV and print as a news reporter, anchor, writer, editor and producer. Along the way he has won numerous awards for general news reporting, newswriting, feature and issue reporting and breaking news reporting from The Associated Press, The Society of Professional Journalists, San Diego Press Club and other organizations. During the mid-1990s, while working for Oregon Public Broadcasting, he was a frequent contributor to National Public Radio, including a feature report on the memorial service for 14 U.S. Forest Service "hotshots" who died fighting a wildfire in Colorado (the crew was based in a central Oregon town). He’s also filed reports with Marketplace, KQED’s California Report and Climate Watch and with national and regional networks throughout the United States. At KPBS, Ed continues his contributions to National Public Radio and other national and regional news organizations. He has won awards from the Society of Professional Journalists and San Diego Press Club for his environmental reporting at KPBS-FM-TV and for producing and anchoring radio newscasts. In 2007 he was selected a National Press Foundation fellow for Understanding Violent Weather II program. The seminars were held at the National Weather Center in Norman, Okla. In 2008 he spoke at a UC San Diego conference on U.S. National Security as part of the school’s Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation. Ed led a discussion with the 18 foreign government officials and academics about the political debate over climate change. In 2010, Ed was elected to a three-year term on the board of the San Diego Press Club.

See stories by Ed Joyce