LOS PADRES FOREST : Wilderness Area Will Remain Open

The vast majority of Los Padres National Forest will remain open to campers and hunters despite earlier cautions that it could be closed after Labor Day because of the high fire danger, an official said Tuesday.

Forestry officials last month considered closing the wilderness area after the Labor Day weekend if fire conditions remained hazardous, said Los Padres National Forest spokeswoman Kathy Good.

Although the weather remains warm and brush dangerously dry, the ability of firefighters to respond to a blaze has increased considerably, she said.

“When we first considered a closure several weeks ago, there were many fires burning in the state,” Good said. “That’s not true now. There are plenty of resources available, and we don’t feel a closure is warranted.”

While most of the 1.75-million-acre forest remains open, a 150,000-acre portion in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties has been closed to visitors since fire restrictions were imposed July 23. Campers also are required to obtain permits whenever they light campfires, including petroleum-powered camp stoves, Good said.

The permits are available at Forest Service offices in Ojai, Goleta and Frazier Park, she said.

Under the restrictions, campers and visitors also are banned from smoking cigarettes or pipes unless they are inside a car or building, and must light campfires only in designated recreation sites.

The entire forest, which stretches from the Los Angeles County line to Big Sur, will remain under a high fire alert until at least two inches of rain falls, Good said.