Incident Information

Public Use Restrictions (PURS) are for smoking, off-road travel, internal combustion engines, generators, and chainsaw use. PURS are phased in collectively, as conditions warrant, and may differ from Forest to Forest. The Wallowa-Whitman has Phase A, B, and C Public Use Restrictions in addition to seasonal fire restrictions. 

Under Phase A: 

• Smoking, except within an enclosed vehicle or building, a developed recreation site, or while stopped in an area at least three feet in diameter and cleared of all flammable material. 
  2. Operating a chainsaw between the hours of 1:00 pm to 8 pm . This prohibition includes the operation of chainsaws.
  3. Operating or using any internal or external combustion engine without a spark arresting device properly installed, maintained and in effective working order in accordance with U.S. Forest Service Standard 5100-1. 
  4. Possessing or using a vehicle off National Forest System roads, except when parking in an area within 10 feet of the roadway that is devoid of vegetation

Under Phase B:

• Campfires are ONLY be allowed in designated campgrounds and recreation sites. Liquefied or bottled gas stoves and heaters are allowed for cooking and heating.  A list of designated recreation sites is available on each of the forest’s websites.
• Operating an internal combustion engine, such as a chainsaw, is prohibited without a valid permit. Commercial and personal use firewood permits are regulated by the conditions of the permit and separate from restrictions under this public use restriction.
• Generators will only be allowed in the center of an area at least 10 feet in diameter that is cleared of all flammable material, or; when fully contained within a pickup truck bed that is devoid of all flammable material, or; when factory installed in a recreational vehicle and the generator exhaust discharge is located in the center of an area at least 10 feet in diameter that is cleared of all flammable material.
• Smoking is only allowed within enclosed vehicles, buildings, and developed recreation sites or when stopped in an area cleared of all flammable material.

Under Phase C:

• Building, maintaining, attending or using a fire, campfire, or stove fire, except:
  • For camp stoves fueled solely by liquid petroleum or liquefied petroleum gas fuels, and flammable vegetation is cleared a minimum of 3-feet away from open flame on all sides;
  • Within the boundaries of the Eagle Cap Wilderness when using a wood-burning stove equipped with a chimney at least 5-feet in length and a spark arresting screen consisting of ¼-inch mesh hardware cloth, and all flammable vegetation within a 3-foot radius is cleared, including overhanging material;
• Smoking, except within an enclosed vehicle or building or while stopped in an area at least three feet in diameter that is barren or cleared of all flammable material. 36 CFR § 261.52(d).
• Operating or using any internal or external combustion engine except:
  • Electric Generators with a spark arresting device properly installed, maintained and in effective working order in accordance with U.S. Forest Service Standard 5100-1, where the generator is located in the center of an area free of all flammable material with a 10-foot diameter.
  • Chainsaws, if the operator possesses a valid personal use firewood cutting permit and follows the conditions outlined in the permit.
• Possessing or using any vehicle off National Forest System roads or National Forest System signed and designated motorized trails, except when parking in an area devoid of vegetation within 10 feet of the roadway.  “Vehicle” means any device in, upon, or by which any person or property is or may be transported, including any frame, chassis, or body of any motor vehicle, except devices used exclusively upon stationary rails or tracks.
• Possessing, discharging or using any kind of firework or other pyrotechnic device.
• Using an explosive. 

Visit the Alerts page or Blue Mountain Interagency Dispatch Center for more information. 

Fire Prevention

Campfires, charcoal fires, and stoves must be attended at all times and completely extinguished prior to leaving. If there are no Public Use Restrictions, please follow these fire-safety rules and recommendations to help you #RecreateResponsibly:
• Keep a shovel and a gallon of water on hand to extinguish your fire before leaving it.

• Fires should be drowned & stirred (and drowned & stirred again) until coals are cool enough to touch.

• Keep campfires and charcoal briquette fires contained in an earthen pit, metal fire ring, or rock ring, with all combustible material removed within a 5-foot radius of the perimeter of the fire ring - and clear of overhanging material.

• Portable cooking stoves and portable fireplaces should also have combustible material removed within a 5-foot radius. Wood burning stoves should be equipped with a chimney at least 5-feet in length and a spark-arresting screen consisting of ¼-inch mesh hardware cloth.

• Campfires are restricted in the Eagle Cap Wilderness to reduce impacts on lakes. Please review the rules on the back of your Wilderness permit. 

IFPL stands for Industrial Fire Precaution Level. It's a system used by the Forest Service to regulate work activities and prevent wildfires by adjusting the level of precaution needed based on fire danger. This system helps control activities like commercial firewood cutting and other industrial operations to minimize the risk of ignition.

Visit the Blue Mountain Interagency Dispatch Center for more information about IFPL levels in surrounding areas.