Public Land Closure Effective TODAY

[IMAUDIGGER]

Forest Regional Order 20-10 (No Trespassing on California Public Lands managed by USDA Forest Service)


Regional Order No. 20-10 USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region Emergency Closure Order
Pursuant to 16 U.S.C. 551 and 36 C.F.R. 261.50(a) and (b), and to provide for public safety and protect natural resources, the following acts are prohibited on National Forest System lands within the Pacific Southwest Region. This Order is effective from September 9, 2020, at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time, through September 14, 2020.
1. Going into or being upon National Forest System lands within the National Forests listed below.
a. b. c. d. e. f. g. h. i. j.
36 C.F.R.
2. Being on
a. b. c. d. e. f. g. h. i.
Eldorado National Forest
Tahoe National Forest
Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit Plumas National Forest
Lassen National Forest
Mendocino National Forest
Klamath National Forest
Six Rivers National Forest Shasta-Trinity National Forest Modoc National Forest
261.52(e).
a National Forest System road within the National Forests listed below.
Eldorado National Forest
Tahoe National Forest
Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit Plumas National Forest
Lassen National Forest
Mendocino National Forest
Klamath National Forest
Six Rivers National Forest Shasta-Trinity National Forest
j.
36 C.F.R. 261.54(e).
3. Being on
a. b. c. d. e.
a National Forest System trail within the National Forests listed below.
Eldorado National Forest
Tahoe National Forest
Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit Plumas National Forest
Lassen National Forest
Modoc National Forest

f. Mendocino National Forest
g. Klamath National Forest
h. Six Rivers National Forest
i. Shasta-Trinity National Forest
j. Modoc National Forest
36 C.F.R. 261.55(a).
Pursuant to 36 C.F.R. 261.50(e), the following persons are exempt from this Order:
1. Persons with Forest Service Permit No. FS-7700-48 (Permit for Use of Roads, Trails, or Areas Restricted by Regulation or Order), specifically exempting them from this Order
2. Any Federal, State, or local officer, or member of an organized rescue or fire fighting force in the performance of an official duty.
3. Persons with a Forest Service non-special-use written authorization to conduct non-recreational activities, such as harvesting timber or forest products, or grazing livestock.
4. Owners or lessees of land, to the extent necessary to access their land.
5. Residents, to the extent necessary to access their residences.
6. Persons engaged in a business, trade, or occupation are not exempt from the prohibitions listed above, but may use National Forest System roads to the extent necessary to carry out their business, trade, or occupation.
These prohibitions are in addition to the general prohibitions contained in 36 C.F.R. Part 261, Subpart A.
A violation of these prohibitions is punishable by a fine of not more than $5,000 for an individual or $10,000 for an organization, or imprisonment for not more than 6 months, or both. 16 U.S.C. 551 and 18 U.S.C. 3559, 3571, and 3581.
Done at Vallejo, California, this 9th day of September 2020.
RANDY MOORE
Regional Forester Pacific Southwest Region
X
Signed by: RANDY MOORE
This Order supersedes Regional Order No. 20-09, signed on September 7, 2020.
==================
How does this affect prospecting and mining on federal mining claims?
Personally I think this is a HUGE leap that will likely lead to down the slippery slope if not nipped in the butt quickly. No trespassing on 33 million acres of public land with the swipe of a pen by a non elected federal employee?

Most trails (and many roads) around here existed prior to the USFS and enjoy congressionally granted right of ways. Don’t see how the USFS can suspend those senior rights.

I get the thought behind the closure...too many idiots starting too many fires...but where does it end?

 

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[IMAUDIGGER]

I guess I should touch base with PNF as well. But at this point in time there are still hot spots on or near my claim. I'm reasonably certain my answer will be NO until the fire activity is over.

Once mandatory evacuations are implemented...I don’t think you can come and go freely.
It is my understanding that un-patented mining claims carry the nearly the same weight as private lands when it comes to access rights.

No need to be right in the thick of fire fighting activities....statewide closures is a different issue.

 

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I’ve been told that a certain popular area will remain closed the remainder of the year (regardless of fire danger), due to the federal governments inability to handle the influx of “visitors” due to the government corona virus shut downs.

I’m telling you this is a slippery slope that needs to be dealt with swiftly.

 

[Goldwasher]

That's just what a Calfire employee told me. Special agreement to cover fire prevention in specific limited areas of federal lands.
I listen to scanners and follow all of the local fires during the summers.
They always ask first responders to give coordinates so they can verify SRA

I'm no expert and can't argue definitively.
Maybe it varies from area to area.

I have a Calfire station and a local station within a mile of me.

We have a local special district. They just tried to get a new assesment put on our taxes we voted down localy.

I live on almost three acres. If I want to cut down more than a few trees I have to apply for a "forest conversion permit"

Plus a permit from the county If the work is within a certain proximity to my house. Or if I use a contractor. Combined that alone is about 4k just for permitting.

I now have to pass my insurance inspection. A county ordinance inspection and a Calfire inspection.

The overall state regulations have decimated the logging industry so much. That you can't barely find someone to do stumpage anymore(timber harvest on small parcels)


The share about calfire is their official definition of responsibility thats why I shared it. I did a ton of research before I voted against the new tax assesment.

Going over jurisdiction SRA inter agency support reimbursments to and from F.S.

How the firefighters union ruined the volunteer system in Ca.

Why CDF changed to CALFIRE and all of its controversies and lawsuits since. The audits showng amzing amounts of waste.

Their lack of pro active foreestry practices. Many people dont know that they are actuall supposed to cut brush in the "off season"

But, you know who makes 90k plus a year and cuts brush thats silly.


We are watching a business model. Fixing the problem will put certain people out of work that don't want to be out of that line of work.

too many lobbyists getting paid.

Calfire is the DMV of firefighting as long as they remain as they are and the state keeps allowing the feds hands to be tied.

we will see these fires.

Trees only come out of the woods two ways.

In smoke or on trucks.

we have tree times too many trees per acre. and no real way to quantify the scrub fuel load..

we may not need roads anymore when wwe can see the wholw horizon between the burned dead sticks.

 

[Goldwasher]

Ironically this year is the closest we have come to what would be considered a "pre -historic" fire year.

Before the spanish arrived. It is estimated the annual average was about 4 million acres with some years being 8 to 10 million acres.

that old school global warming was just wreaking havoc

 

[wildminer]

Good grief! A "forest conversion permit" for cutting more than a few trees on your own land! Nobody's business including the government which seems like taxation without representation.

 

[bug]

I notice the modern Forest fires are beast fires killing everything in their path and leaving a dead stick forest that ends up falling down and creating a new fire hazard, unless it gets logged before the rot sets in. SPI seems to get on that, but the public lands just rot.
I can imagine before we populated this new land, that fires were annual events clearing out the forests and resulted in a groomed park like setting with fire resistant trees spaced out with minimal ground fuels. With these current hot fires, the ecosystem basically has a hard reset and many non native invasive weeds and brush take over creating all kinds of ugly, along with the standing dead stick tree apocalypse which comes down creating a situation that needs to be re burned again to clean up the version 2.0 mess.
There does seem to be some kind of weather pattern aberration with less humidity coming into the Sierra Nevada foothills. When I grew up in the Motherload country circa 1980s, I remember a more constant delta breeze/ western zonal air flow which brought humidity levels up, cooled the night air, and limited a wild fires growth potential. Now we tend to have a high pressure dome sit over the west coast and cause hotter temps and a loss of the ocean air influence. Old 1850 mining journals additionally mention the cool damp summer nights in the foothills , which also unfortunately aggravated many a miners health. Anyway its tragic the state doesn't clean up the forests. One begins to think it is not incompetence at the high levels, but by design or greed, so they can bring the order out of chaos end game, and limit our freedoms, in the not too distant future

 

[IMAUDIGGER]

The fire currently burning in my neighborhood started in the high alpine ridges and has at times moved around slowly. I suspect it will overall be a good thing. Not far away...another fire ripped through a mountain community and burned hundreds of structures.

The dead trees on public lands rot after a fire because of lawsuits filed by the tribes and environmental groups.
They want a hands off (keep out) management approach, which is contrary to why the forest reserves were created in the first place. The USFS seems to be onboard with that type of approach.

I think we are in a long drought in California...like a 20 year drought with isolated years of flooding. If the El Niño prediction is correct...we will be getting all of our rain at once this winter.

 

[Madmox]

The fire currently burning in my neighborhood started in the high alpine ridges and has at times moved around slowly. I suspect it will overall be a good thing. Not far away...another fire ripped through a mountain community and burned hundreds of structures.

The dead trees on public lands rot after a fire because of lawsuits filed by the tribes and environmental groups.
They want a hands off (keep out) management approach, which is contrary to why the forest reserves were created in the first place. The USFS seems to be onboard with that type of approach.

I think we are in a long drought in California...like a 20 year drought with isolated years of flooding. If the El Niño prediction is correct...we will be getting all of our rain at once this winter.

I thought I read they said this was a La Niña cycle this year.

 

[IMAUDIGGER]

I thought I read they said this was a La Niña cycle this year.

Dang! Your right. Thats what I get for repeating what someone told me.

75% chance Borderline Moderate La Niño through the winter.

For my area that means wetter weather. Which is what I wanted to see.

 

[Madmox]

Dang! Your right. Thats what I get for repeating what someone told me.

75% chance Borderline Moderate La Niño through the winter.

For my area that means wetter weather. Which is what I wanted to see.

Same here. I think you are just a handful of hours East of me.