Visitors to the Bureau of Land Management Fort Sage Off-Highway-Vehicle Recreation Area in southern Lassen County can expect to encounter heavy vehicles and construction equipment as crews replace signs and repair other damage caused by a wildfire last fall.
“Motorcycle riders and off-road vehicle drivers should be extra cautious in areas where work is underway,” said Emily Ryan, manager of the BLM’s Eagle Lake Field Office in Susanville. “It is also important that riders and drivers stay on the designated trails so they don’t damage young plants and fragile soils recovering from the fire.”
Work will continue through the spring and early summer and may resume in the fall.
The recreation area was damaged by the Laura 2 wildfire that broke out in the nearby community of Doyle on November 17th, last year. The blaze destroyed 21 homes and 19 outbuildings before winds pushed the fire onto BLM-managed public lands in and around the Fort Sage OHV Area. The fire burned a total of 2,800 acres.
Damage from the Laura 2 fire came as BLM crews were continuing work on vegetation recovery from the 20,000-acre Long Valley Fire that scorched the OHV area in July 2017.
The OHV area midway between Susanville and Reno provides about 100 miles of roads and trails for riders and drivers of all abilities. Roads and trails are marked with signs indicating difficulty ratings and recommended vehicle types with varied terrain ranging from flat, sandy, sagebrush-dotted flats to steep and rocky canyons and gulches.
Camping is allowed at the primary trailheads.
More information is available at www.blm.gov/visit/fort-sage-highway-vehicle-area.
