Campfires Banned: Hoosier National Forest

News: Hoosier National Forest has banned all campfires due to the extreme dry conditions and lack of rain fall.

Federal authorities have issued a ban on campfires and imposed new restrictions on smoking at the Hoosier National Forest as Southern Indiana battles a drought that has led to similar restrictions across dozens of counties.

The national park ban prohibits all campfires — including those built using wood or charcoal.
Smoking is permitted only in an enclosed vehicle or building, a developed recreation site or while stopped in an area that is cleared of all flammable material at least three feet in diameter.
“With the drought-induced early leaf-fall and drying forest foliage, the prevalent wild land fire danger has migrated deeper into the woodland,” said Mike Davis, the Hoosier fire program manager, in a statement Monday.
“The tree canopy in the forest had offered some buffering of the more extreme fire behavior,” he said. “That effect has been reduced to the point where additional precautions are necessary.”
The new restrictions come as Southern Indiana is in the midst of a moderate to severe drought, according to state climatologist Dev Niyogi.
Niyogi said some rain has fallen lately, but it's either not enough or has fallen where it's needed the least. He called the state a virtual island of drought in the Ohio River Valley.
Sixty-two Indiana counties have countywide or local burn bans or restrictions in effect. Southern Indiana is almost completely covered by the restrictions. Only Pike, Ripley and Dearborn counties have no fire bans in Southern Indiana, according to the Indiana Department of Homeland Security.
The drought conditions already have led the Indiana Department of Natural Resources to impose restrictions on many of its properties.
There is a ban on fires on the Knobstone Trail, which is the longest continuous hiking trail in Indiana and runs through rugged terrain in Southern Indiana.
“Conditions are approaching the critical levels with both live and dead fuel moistures and drought indexes,” the department says of the risks at the property.
In the Hoosier National Forest, gas or propane stoves may be used but they must be equipped with a means to control or shut off the heat source.
Davis said that although daily changes in weather will result in fluctuations in the forest fire threat, elevated concerns about fires likely will persist through early winter.
The Hoosier National Forest fire ban will remain in effect until conditions significantly improve, he said.