Submitted by The Olympic National Park
Due to notable widespread rain with resulting decrease in fire danger, Olympic National Park and Forest have lifted all fire restrictions as of September 09, 2015. The restrictions included a ban on campfires outside of developed areas as well as some campgrounds. Fire restrictions are typically lifted when a significant amount of precipitation is recorded in local weather stations and the fire danger has decreased dramatically. Rainfall amounts on the west side of the Olympic Peninsula have reached 11 to 12 inches since the end of August, with amounts up to one to two inches on the northeast side.
Fire restrictions were implemented on June 25. This was unusual for the Olympic Peninsula, but was necessary due to a dry winter and impacts of long-term drought across the Park and Forest. Additional fire restrictions and area closures were implemented by other land management agencies throughout the Olympic Peninsula. National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service firefighters responded to over 20 fires within the park and forest this summer, ranging from burns of less than ten acres to the 2,800 acre Paradise Fire.
Olympic National Park information: www.nps.gov/olym/
Olympic National Forest information:www.fs.usda.gov/detail/olympic/alerts-notices/
State and county area burn bans: www.waburnbans.net
About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America’s 407 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov.
The mission of the USDA Forest Service is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the Nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. The Agency manages 193 million acres of public land, provides assistance to State and private landowners, and maintains the largest forestry research organization in the world. For general information on the Olympic National Forest, visit www.fs.usda.gov/
