Forest Service Lays Down the Law on Starting Fires

If you were thinking about heading up to the Angeles National Forest and the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument, then building a fire, or lighting a stove, or welding, or firing a weapon, or smoking, the U.S. Forest Service has just three words for you:

Forget about it.

In a list of restrictions that went into effect on Aug. 1, and are to remain in effect until Feb. 1, the Forest Service included all of the above as prohibited activities, along with a few other things on a list of do’s and don’ts while venturing out into the wild.

Under Forest Order 05-01-20-05, prohibited is “building, maintaining, attending or using a fire, campfire, or stove fire within the covered area. Smoking is also prohibited, as well as welding, or operating an acetylene or other torch with an open flame, and discharging a firearm, air rifle, or gas gun, except in the authorized public shooting ranges.”

Anyone caught violating these rules may be punished by a fine of not more than $5,000 for an individual, or $10,000 for an organization, or imprisonment for not more than six months, or both.

Like any other law, there are exceptions, and in this case they include “any federal, state or local officer, or member of an organized rescue or firefighting force performing an official duty; and persons with a permit from the Forest Service specifically authorizing the prohibited act or omission. … Persons hunting during the open hunting season as specified by the laws of the State of California, and possessing a valid California hunting license, may discharge a firearm at a legal game bird or mammal.”

However, “Persons with a valid California Campfire Permit are not exempt from the prohibitions listed in the order.”

Located primarily in the Angeles National Forest, the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument has a total of 346,177 acres. The forest, including the monument, provides 70 percent of the open space to more than 15 million people living within 90 minutes of the area, and provides a third of Los Angeles’ drinking water.

The Angeles National Forest receives more than four million visitors per year. This number has been increasing since October 2014 when President Obama designated the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument from existing National Forest acreages which include approximately 342,000 acres of the Angeles National Forest and 4,000 acres of the San Bernardino National Forest.