Countywide : Forest Service Eases Ban on Camp Stoves
The U.S. Forest Service will allow campers to use camp stoves in the backcountry of Los Padres National Forest beginning today, lifting restrictions imposed in May because of dry conditions, officials said.
The Forest Service will continue to require that campers obtain permits for petroleum-based stoves, and wood-burning campfires will still be prohibited outside maintained campgrounds.
Lifting the restriction will open about 175,000 acres to recreational use, including the Sespe-Frazier area in Ventura County, said Eric Clayton, a spokesman for the Forest Service.
Officials decided to allow the use of stoves because cooler weather has raised the moisture level in the vegetation, making it less susceptible to fire, Clayton said.
A sustained period of temperatures in the upper 80s or warm winds could cause restrictions to be reimposed, he said.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
