(Pendleton, OR, July 23, 2026) — Due to continued hot temperatures, lack of moisture and extreme fire danger, Umatilla National Forest officials have announced that effective 12:01 a.m. on Weekday, Month Day, 2026, the Umatilla National Forest will move to Phase C of public use restrictions (PURs).
With concern for public safety and the increased potential for human caused wildfires, officials remind forest visitors to use extreme caution when visiting the forest; under current conditions, even a spark can rapidly become a large wildfire.
Phase C PURS is the third level of restrictions and includes:
- Campfires are prohibited on the Forest. Liquified and bottle gas stoves and heaters may be used in an area cleared 3 feet of all flammable material.
- No internal combustion engine operation (including chainsaws), except for motorized vehicles.
- Generators will only be allowed if located in an area that has been cleared at least 10 feet in diameter of all flammable material or when factory installed in a recreational vehicle and the exhaust discharge is located in the center of an area at least 10 feet in diameter cleared of all flammable material.
- No off-road/off-trail vehicle travel or travel on roads not cleared of standing grass or other flammable material. Vehicle travel is never permitted on currently closed Forest Service roads where access has been impeded or blocked by earthen berms, logs, barriers, barricades or gates, or as otherwise identified in a closure order. Vehicles must be parked in an area within 10 feet of the roadway that is barren or cleared of all flammable material.
- Smoking is only allowed in enclosed vehicles, buildings or cleared areas.
Please remember that it is your responsibility to know what restrictions are in place when visiting public lands.
Regulated closures may be in effect on State and private lands protected by Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) in northeast and central Oregon. Please check with your local Oregon Department of Forestry office for PURs on lands protected by ODF. For more complete information, contact a local Oregon Department of Forestry office or visit one of the interagency dispatch center’s webpages:
- Blue Mountain Interagency Dispatch: www.bmidc.org
- John Day Interagency Dispatch Center: https://bicc-jdidc.org/jdidc/intelreport.shtml
Similar restrictions may also be in effect on State and private lands protected by the Washington Department of Natural Resources (WA-DNR). More information can be found on the WA-DNR website at: https://www.dnr.wa.gov/.
Fire restrictions may also be implemented on lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). For more details, visit the BLM website at: https://blm.gov/orwafire.
For more information about the Umatilla National Forest’s Public Use Restrictions, please contact:
Umatilla National Forest
Toll-Free (877) 958-9663
https://fs.usda.gov/r06/umatilla
Blog: https://bluemountainfireinfo.blogspot.com/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/UmatillaNF
X: @UmatillaNF
About the Forest Service: The Forest Service has, for more than 100 years, brought people and communities together to answer the call of conservation. Grounded in world-class science and technology — and rooted in communities — the Forest Service connects people to nature and to each other. The Forest Service cares for shared natural resources in ways that promote lasting economic, ecological, and social vitality. The agency manages 193 million acres of public land, provides assistance to state and private landowners, and maintains the largest wildland fire and forestry research organizations in the world. The Forest Service also has either a direct or indirect role in stewardship of about 900 million forested acres within the U.S., of which over 130 million acres are urban forests where most Americans live.
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