CENTRALIA, Washington
,
August 16, 2023
(press release)
–
Sierra Pacific Industries to Close Public Access to a Portion of Southwest Washington Forestlands due to Wildfire Risk Closure begins Wed., Aug. 16, 2023, due to heightened risk factors Due to the increasing risk of wildfires to the region, Sierra Pacific Industries (SPI) will be closing its Washington forestland to public access beginning Wed. August 16, in Thurston, Lewis, Cowlitz and Clark counties. “Preventing wildfires during fire season is everyone’s responsibility,” said Lisa Perry, SPI spokesperson. “Closure of our lands to public access and recreation is an important and necessary step to increasing public safety, supporting those professionals preparing for frontline emergency response, and protecting natural resources.” Several wildfire risk factors are considered by SPI when closing its forestlands, including increasing weather temperature, excessively dry vegetation, low moisture levels, and long-range weather forecasts. Fire prevention efforts through active forest management of lands are our first line of defense against catastrophic wildfires. Implementing effective prevention efforts requires working with our partners year-round on fuel breaks and fuels reduction strategies, immediate, aggressive and direct fire suppression during wildfire season, and assessing and prioritizing which strategies are appropriate in each situation. Beginning Wednesday, August 16, SPI’s internal roads and walk-in access to the company’s privately-owned lands will be prohibited. Public roads crossing SPI lands are not affected by this closure. SPI has committed to regularly evaluate the situation and keep interested parties updated on any changes. We anticipate the closure will remain in effect until moisture levels and long-range weather forecasts improve, likely sometime in the Fall of 2023. To learn more about the company’s recreation access policies, please visit the website at: http://spi-ind.com/OurForests/RecreationAccess. For updates on the closure, contact the SPI’s Southwest Washington Recreation Hotline at (360) 623-1299. ### Sierra Pacific Industries is a third-generation, family-owned forest products company based in Anderson, California. SPI owns and manages more than 2.4 million acres of timberland in California, Oregon and Washington and is one of the largest U.S. lumber manufacturers. SPI also produces millwork, windows and renewable energy. In Washington, Sierra Pacific Industries employs over 900 crewmembers, owns 310,000 acres of forestland, and operates four sawmills including two biomass co-generation plants
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