Our View: Black means stay out of the forest

By: North County Times - Editorial | Thursday, August 19, 2004 9:07 PM PDT ∞

It's all right to feel a bit confused in this new age of color-coded warning systems ---- what are we supposed to do differently, after all, if the warning code for national security is raised from yellow to orange? But there's no excuse for ignoring the new color on the block ---- black. It means stay out.

It's now a crime ---- a class B misdemeanor ---- to enter the Cleveland National Forest if the fire danger is so critical that black warning signs have been posted. (Though it's legal to drive on the roads through the forest.) Violating this law can bring a fine of up to $5,000 per person or $10,000 for an organization and up to six months in jail. If you start a wildfire, you may also be charged for the cost of fighting it ---- which can be in the range of $1 million per day.

The 460,000-acre Cleveland National Forest spreads over parts of San Diego, Riverside and Orange counties. The U.S. Forest Service this week added the new color warning ---- beyond red ---- due to the extreme danger of wildfires this year, bearing in mind the devastating results of last year's firestorms.

It seems simple. Why, then, do we get the unpleasant feeling that some people will ignore the signs and go off-roading, target shooting or sit around a campfire in the forests ---- black signs or no. All those activities have started multiple wildfires, some of them fatal, all of them costly to fight. (Target shooting is legal only on two ranges in the Cleveland National Forest: at Orosco Ridge and Aguanga.)

In one recent summer, several fires were started by people who mowed their lawns in the heat of the day; the mower blades struck rocks and set off wildfires. That danger can be reduced by simply waiting till dusk to mow the lawn, when it's more comfortable anyway.

Use common sense. Stay out of the forests when the black signs warn you away.

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