With the risk of fire high across California, federal officials announced on Monday that the state's national forests — 20 million acres of land — will be closed temporarily, starting at 11:59 p.m. Tuesday.
Officials said by keeping visitors out, it lowers the chances of new blazes starting and people getting stuck in the forest should a wildfire break out. With the exception of Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, every national forest in California is managed by the USDA Forest Service's Pacific Southwest Region, and Regional Forester Jennifer Eberlien said officials did "not take this decision lightly, but this is the best choice for public safety. It is especially hard with the approaching Labor Day weekend, when so many people enjoy our national forests."
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