Fire Restrictions May Close Some Trails

[Dave]

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DNR News Releases

Additional fire restrictions in three northeastern

Minnesota counties

Continued warm, dry weather has prompted additional fire

restrictions in Lake, Cook and St. Louis counties. Starting

at noon Friday, May 18, recreational off-highway vehicle

(OHV) use restrictions will be in place.

Recreational use of OHVs on state and county forest lands

will be restricted to current open forest roads designated

for OHV use. "We are trying to prevent back country OHV

travel," said Ron Stoffel, DNR wildfire suppression

supervisor. "Hot OHV mufflers parked in tall grass can

cause fires."

Fire conditions in northeastern Minnesota are continuing to

get worse. Little rain and significant lightning was

received on Monday. Windy conditions with warmer

temperatures are expected to return on Thursday and Friday.

In other areas of northern Minnesota recreational OHV users

should continue to use extreme caution while riding OHVs in

the backcountry. Drought conditions continue to plague most

of northern Minnesota. Campfires in the rest of northern

Minnesota, outside of Cook, Lake and St. Louis counties

(and north of a line from Highway 210 to Staples and then

Highway 10 west to the North Dakota border) are restricted

to designated fire receptacles associated with a residence,

campground or resort.

Grasses and trees continue to "green-up" across Minnesota.

Continued lack of rainfall however, is causing fire

conditions to remain high. Several days of significant rain

are needed to bring firefighters any relief. The next

possibility for rainfall is not until the weekend.

"Above normal precipitation will be needed to alleviate the

drought conditions in northern Minnesota," said Stoffel.