Parts of Figueroa Mountain Campgrounds Open After Firefighters Cut Down 200 Dead Trees

Los Padres National Forest officials reopened parts of Figueroa Campground after dead and dying trees were cut down.

The campground was shut down in July after a massive pine tree crashed down on an unoccupied campsite.

Wildland firefighters recently chopped down 200 trees.

The five-year drought and bark beetle infestations have created a tree mortality epidemic across the state.

Dead and dying trees in the Los Padres National Forest can still pose a threat to campgrounds, roads and firefighters if a wildfire breaks out.

The goal is to cut down the remaining hazardous trees in the Figueroa Campground by the end of September and reopen the entire campground.

Temporary closures in the Figueroa Mountain Recreation Area of the Santa Lucia Ranger District remain in place, including Figueroa Lookout, Pino Alto, and Cumbre Day Use Areas, as well Forest Roads 8N16 and 8N32.

These sites will stay closed until more wildland firefighters return from fighting fires across the state and are able to remove the hazardous trees.