Vehicle access to the Santiam State Forest near Mill City and Gates will not be affected by newly-installed gates except during periods of extraordinary fire danger to ensure public safety, according to the Oregon Department of Forestry.
A gate closure would be triggered only when fire danger is so high that any forest activity – commercial or recreational – is prohibited without a permit. Sometimes known as a permit closure, this is the highest and most restrictive fire danger designation, and is an extremely rare occurrence in this area, department officals said.
Fire danger regulations and restrictions are set by the local district forester in response to conditions specific to the ODF protection district.
The restrictions are put in place to reduce the chances of a fire starting and spreading out of control. Humans caused about 96 percent of fires in ODF’s North Cascade District over the past ten years.
The gates will be located at the east end of the Mad Creek Road and the Rock Creek Road as well as the bottom of the Monument Peak Road, North Rock Creek Road and South Rock Creek Road. No private land access will be affected if the gates are closed.
The Oregon Department of Forestry manages lands 730,000 acres across 15 Oregon counties as well as 33,000 acres of Common School Fund land, including the Santiam State Forest.
