Forest areas begin reopening

Federal land managers, in conjunction with the state of Idaho, are modifying temporary emergency wildfire closures in order to significantly reduce the size of the closure areas effective 12:01 a.m. Wednesday. Cooler temperatures and recent precipitation have tempered fire activity across the forest and have allowed fire managers to reduce the size of many closure areas. Some of the most significant emergency closure area reductions are for the Coeur d’Alene River and St. Joe Ranger Districts. The modified closure areas improve public access to much of the forest, but will remain in place to provide for public and firefighter safety until further assessments determine the areas are safe to completely reopen/Idaho Panhandle Nation Forest news release. More here.