The Cleveland National Forest places a heavy emphasis on resource management. This includes fire, ecological, archaeological, recreation management, various projects, volunteer efforts and ongoing work. Below are some of the highlights and management efforts being conducted on the Cleveland.

Abandoned Ramona Burn Dump

The Ramona Burn Dump Site is a former solid waste disposal CERCLA Site located on the Palomar Ranger District of the Cleveland National Forest.

The Site was discovered following the 2007 Witch Creek fire when vegetation covering the Site was burned and revealed that cover material had eroded and exposed waste burn ash and debris at the Site.  The former Burn Dump was operated by the County of San Diego for the disposal of trash and rubbish from the community of Ramona and surrounding County areas from approximately 1948 to 1969 under special use permits issued by the Forest Service. 

Southern California Inventoried Roadless Area Road and Trail Analysis Collaborative Group

The Cleveland, Angeles, Los Padres, and San Bernardino National Forests convened an Inventoried Roadless Area (IRA) Road and Trail Analysis Collaborative Group to develop criteria for decommissioning roads and trails in IRAs.  The group will also identify project priorities based on those criteria.

Travel Analysis

The Cleveland National Forest has performed analysis on National Forest system roads network since 2006. This effort has helped establish the minimum road system requirements for safe and efficient public travel and for administration, utilization and protection of National Forest System lands. Please see our most recent analysis below:

Cleveland National Forest 2017 Travel Analysis Report

Forest Planning

The Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act (RPA), as amended by the National Forest Management Act (NFMA), establishes a process for developing, amending, and revising land management plans for units of the National Forest System.

Look here for planning documents that guide how the national forest is managed. The focus is at a broad scale: regional, forest-wide, or landscape (watershed) level. The Cleveland National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan, forest plan monitoring reports, and other assessments and planning documents are available.

Goldspotted Oak Borer

Over the past 7 years, GSOB has contributed to the drastic decline of oak trees in eastern San Diego County, especially in the vicinity of Descanso, Pine Valley, Guatay, the Laguna Mountains, and Cuyamaca State Park. Tree mortality continues to be an area of high concern on the Cleveland, and efforts to restore and manage resources are well underway. You can help us to manage infected trees and reduce the spread of the beetle. If you think that your trees may be infested - Report it!

Native Habitat Restoration

The Descanso Ranger is undertaking a project to restore native riparian habitat on Cottonwood and La Posta Creeks along Buckman Springs Road. The project includes removing non-native tamarisk trees and restoring native habitat by replanting the area with native species.

• Trabuco Ranger District Dam Removal and Habitat Restoration Report

Cultural Resource Management

The responsible management of the archaeological, historic and Tribal resources found within the Cleveland National Forest is critical to understanding our collective past. These non-renewable resources are fragile and are constantly at risk from human threats (such as theft and vandalism) as well as natural processes (such as erosion and wildfire).

Fire & Aviation Management

The Cleveland National Forest Fire Management department is responsible for managing fire threat, potential fire hazards, conducting constant risk assessment, and maintaining fuel (dead brush - or dried weeds that can quickly ignite and cause fires) levels to mitigate fire risk on national forest lands and surrounding areas. They also assist local, city, county, and state agencies in managing risk and fighting fires.

Recreation Management

Find out about the inventory, evaluation, and planning for recreation sites: what sites will be maintained and at what level.

Wildlife Management

The Forest has been working hard to ensure that raptors and their habitat are proactively managed. Area advisories for Prairie Falcon nesting activity and some sites warrant “area closures” for Golden Eagle nesting activities.

Laguna Mountains Skipper

Geospatial Data

Geospatial data are georeferenced, or spatially explicit, digital files that can be used in a GIS (Geographic Information System).  Click on the link above to view and download geospatial data for Pacific Southwest Region of the USFS, including the Cleveland National Forest.