U.S. Forest Service

The Lake Fire (2015). Blue Cut Fire (2016). Apple Fire (2020). Devore Fire (2021). Besides being wildfires, what do they have in common? They all had drone incursions, endangering aircraft personnel and slowing down aerial suppression efforts. Let's keep our airspace safe for the remainder of this and future seasons. Never fly a drone during a wildfire. Fines can be up to $25,000. For more information, read our press release: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/sbnf/news-events/

Do you give a hoot and don't pollute? It's Woodsy Owl's 50th anniversary this summer, and if you're looking to join him on his mission to lend a hand to care for the land, we'd love to chat! Sarah Hersee (pictured) recently joined the Forest, via our partner MobilizeGreen, to give our volunteer program a major boost. She's looking to hear from anyone wanting to volunteer across the forest so she can connect you with groups and projects. Interested? Give her a shout at [email protected]. See you out there! #summerofwoodsy

We’re looking forward to this incoming winter storm! If you’re coming out to play this week, here are some tips to prepare yourself: - Bring your tire traction devices. State checkpoints will likely be setup along highways. - Be prepared for traffic and large crowds! If there is no parking available, do not block roadways, driveways and gates. Maintain social distancing. - Snow play on public lands, not private property, and always pack out your trash, broken sled pieces in...cluded. - Many higher elevation forest roads have been closed to vehicles for winter conditions. Please enjoy them for snowshoeing and other human-powered activities. - Recently burned areas and adjacent spots where debris flows could occur will remain closed. This includes recreation areas around Forest Falls. Head further up Highway 38 to the Barton Flats Snowplay Area (Adventure Pass required). - Stay out of the bald eagle closure area in Fawnskin, located on the northwest side of Big Bear Lake. - Fire restrictions and related safety prohibitions remain in effect until we receive significant amounts of precipitation to get us out of peak fire season (hopefully this is it, but that remains to be seen). Thank you! (Photo taken Winter 2019)

We’re still in fire season. The Pitman Fire, located off Glen Helen Parkway in Sycamore Canyon, began at approximately 12:10 p.m. and quickly grew to 45 acres before firefighters halted its forward rate of spread. However, containment is at 0%. The cause is under investigation. Please continue to be careful with anything that could spark a fire. Let’s hope that forecasted winter storm for Monday brings plenty of rain and snow!

Heads up: Bee Canyon (OHV) Road (5S07) in the Hemet area will close intermittently over the next month so construction crews can repair the road. This continues work from earlier this year. The goal is to strengthen road integrity during large storm events. Here are the anticipated closure dates: - Mon., Dec. 14, 2020, through Fri., Dec. 18, 2020... - Mon., Dec. 21, 2020, through Wed., Dec. 23, 2020 - Mon., Jan. 4, 2021, through Fri., Jan. 14, 2021 Closure dates are subject to change due to weather. Visitors are encouraged to "know before you go" and check for changes with the San Jacinto Ranger District at 909-382-2921, the Forest's Alerts & Notices webpage or Twitter before heading out.

Did you know there have been hundreds of extra wildland firefighters in Southern California this past week? They came from NorCal, Arizona, Utah and Idaho, among other states, to help out in case large fires started during this recent bout of critical fire weather conditions. Here’s the count:... - 46 engines - 9 hand crews - 3 bulldozers - 8 helicopters - 5 large air tankers - 1 very large air tanker A dozen engines, two hand crews and two dozers are among the ground resources positioned locally on the San Bernardino National Forest. We’re very thankful for their support!