After rain, campfires now allowed in most places across Oregon

Heavy rain over the past week has dropped fire danger and returned the ability to have a campfire in most places across the state.

All national forests on the state’s west side lifted “public use restrictions” over the past week, which in effect means that campfires and other activities, such as operating chainsaws and driving ATVs, are allowed.

Willamette National Forest east of Salem and Eugene decided Wednesday to lift the restrictions. It previously allowed campfires only at developed campsites.

“Campfires will once again be allowed outside of campgrounds, and restrictions on chainsaws, off-highway vehicles, and smoking will be lifted,” a news release said. “However, even with the reduced fire risk, it is still important to never leave a campfire unattended and completely extinguish it so it’s cold to the touch.”

The cancellation of public use restrictions, also known as fire restrictions, applies to all lands within the 1.6 million-acre Willamette National Forest, including the Three Sisters, Mount Jefferson, Mount Washington, Waldo Lake and Diamond Peak Wilderness areas.

Fire restrictions have also been dropped in Siuslaw, Deschutes, Mount Hood, Umpqua and Rogue River-Siskiyou national forests. However, always double check fire restrictions for any specific park or campground you plan to camp at before lighting a campfire.

Zach Urness has been an outdoors reporter in Oregon for 15 years and is host of the Explore Oregon Podcast. Urness is the author of “Best Hikes with Kids: Oregon” and “Hiking Southern Oregon.” He can be reached at zurness@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6801. Find him on Twitter at @ZachsORoutdoors.

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: After rain, campfires now allowed in most places across Oregon