Apalachicola National Forest now closed after Hurricane Michael

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Other national forests in the Southern Region continue to waive fees at campgrounds, concessionaire-managed sites for evacuees and displaced individuals.

CRAWFORDVILLE, Fla., (Oct. 11, 2018) —The U.S. Forest Service has closed the Apalachicola National Forest (Apalachicola), which includes all offices, roads, trails and campgrounds on the Wakulla and Apalachicola Ranger Districts, for safety reasons due to impacts from Hurricane Michael. Agency employees will conduct a reconnaissance flight tomorrow to assess the overall damage to the forest.

“Our top priority is employee and visitor safety,” said Apalachicola District Ranger Clint Davis. “We know people are anxious to get back to hunting and camping on the forest. We’re asking everyone to be patient until we can, with good conscience, say that areas are safe .”

When it is safe to do so, crews will start clearing downed trees, snags and other hazards to allow the forest to reopen. Employees will also conduct water quality testing at recreation sites to ensure they are safe as well.

“As folks can imagine, it’s going to take time to assess and clear roads, trails and recreation sites,” said Davis. “This isn’t something that’s going to happen overnight. It could be days or even weeks before we’re able to open everything back up, depending on the damage we see during the reconnaissance flight tomorrow and what our employees see on the ground.”

The National Forests in Florida’s Supervisor’s Office also remains closed and will reopen to the public at 10 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 15, 2018.

The Osceola and Ocala National Forests remain open. They, and other national forests in the Southern Region unaffected by Hurricanes Michael and Florence, will continue to waive fees at campgrounds and concessionaire-managed sites for evacuees and displaced individuals from both storms.

For the latest updates on the Apalachicola, Ocala and Osceola National Forests, follow us on Facebook at NationalForestsinFlorida and on Twitter @NFinFlorida.

Signed Apalachicola National Forest Forest Closure Order

Text of the signed Forest Closure Order