San Bernardino National Forest Reduces Fire Restrictions

Release Date: Dec 6, 2016

SAN BERNARDINO, California, December 6, 2016 – Recent rain and snow across the southland, has moderated fire danger leading fire officials on the San Bernardino National Forest to scale back fire restrictions, effective Friday, December 9, 2016.

As a result of lowering the fire restrictions, visitors may, once again, have wood and charcoal fires in agency-provided campfire rings at campgrounds, picnic areas and yellow post sites. Recreational target shooting is permitted within designated shooting sites and at public shooting ranges. “After a particularly difficult year, I am happy that conditions have moderated enough for us to scale back the fire restrictions,” said Forest Supervisor Jody Noiron. “However, since conditions can change rapidly, we ask the public to always ‘know before you go’ by contacting us before planning your forest visit.”

• Current fire restrictions and guidelines in effect on the San Bernardino National Forest are as follows:
• Wood and charcoal campfires are allowed only in developed campgrounds, picnic areas and Yellow Post campsites within agency-provided fire rings or designated stoves.
• Campfire permits are required for propane and gas stoves and lanterns used outside of developed recreation sites.
• Recreational shooting is limited to designated sites and public shooting ranges operated under special use permit only, except for those engaged in legal hunting.
• Smoking is limited to enclosed vehicles, developed recreation sites and areas cleared of vegetation, three feet in diameter.
• An approved spark arrester is required for any internal combustion engine operated on designated forest routes. These include chainsaws, generators, motorcycles, and off-highway vehicles.
• Fireworks are always prohibited on the San Bernardino National Forest. Tracer, armor piercing, steel core, and Teflon ammunitions are also prohibited, as is discharging a firearm at any exploding target.

For more information, please call your local forest office at:

Big Bear Discovery Center        909-382-2790

Front Country Ranger Station   909-382-2851

San Jacinto Ranger Station       909-382-2922

Mill Creek Visitor Center          909-382-2882

Santa Rosa & San Jacinto Mountains National Monument         760-862-9984

About the U.S. Forest Service:

The mission of the U.S. Forest Service, part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is to sustain the health, diversity and productivity of the nation's forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. The agency manages 193 million acres of public land, provides assistance to state and private landowners, and maintains the largest forestry research organization in the world. Public lands the Forest Service manages contribute more than $13 billion to the economy each year through visitor spending alone. Those same lands provide 20 percent of the nation's clean water supply, a value estimated at $7.2 billion per year. The agency has either a direct or indirect role in stewardship of about 80 percent of the 850 million forested acres within the U.S., of which 100 million acres are urban forests where most Americans live.

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