Moderate to severe drought in northern Idaho is prompting officials to impose the highest level of fire restrictions at some of the state’s most visited parks.
Those include Farragut, Heyburn, McCroskey, Round Lake, Priest Lake and Winchester Lake state parks.
The declaration does not include Dworshak and Hells Gate state parks.
Visitors and campers to six state parks can no longer have a campfire, use propane-fueled fire rings or operate a chainsaw during parts of the day, among other rules.
The Idaho Department of Lands outlines what is or is not allowed during this wildfire danger declaration here.
Officials say they made their decision due to “extreme” fire danger in those areas.
The latest federal data released Thursday show all of North Idaho to be in moderate to severe drought.
About 25% of the state is experiencing some form of drought, with another 15% considered to be abnormally dry – mostly in central Idaho and part of the Magic Valley. Federal data estimates it’s affecting roughly 320,000 residents.
That’s a significant improvement from this time last year when two-thirds of the state was either abnormally dry or in any stage of drought.
Late last month, state officials implemented Stage 1 fire restrictions in parts of central Idaho, meaning fires must be in designated fire rings or on person’s private land.
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