California Private Forests Closed to Public Due to Wildfire Risk

A file photo of dead and dying trees are seen in a forest stressed by drought conditions in California on May, 2015. (David McNew/Getty Images)

ANDERSON, Calif.—One of the nation’s largest lumber manufacturers, Sierra Pacific Industries, closed public access to its forests in California as of July 1 because of a high risk of wildfires.

“Despite some of the late spring rains, California is experiencing the driest conditions in 1,200 years,” spokeswoman Andrea Howell said in a statement.

The company owns more than 2.3 million acres of forest in California, Oregon, and Washington and offers recreational opportunities for public access on private and working forestlands. The closure applies only to its California forestlands.

During the closure, which is expected to remain in effect through the fall of this year, the company’s roads and privately owned land will be off-limits to the public.

However, the roads that cross Sierra Pacific’s property will remain open. The private roads shared with federal landowners that are designated for public use will also remain open for recreational access.

According to the National Integrated Drought Information System, California is experiencing the worst drought in the past 128 years, affecting 37.2 million residents. State and local governments are imposing water restrictions in response to the drought.

“Drought conditions have once again taken ahold of California and are already contributing to another year of early fire activity,” CalFire Director and Fire Chief Joe Tyler said in a statement (pdf).

The company had to close its forestland in the previous years because of extreme drought and high wildfire hazards. The forestland was closed from June 24 to Oct. 4 in 2021.

For information about regional information on current public access status, visitors can (530)-378-8274.