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Off-trail areas along Greenway will close By Vickie Aldous May 30, 2022 02:30 PM A A Off-trail areas on county-owned land along the Bear Creek Greenway will close June 1 due to the start of fire season. Andy Atkinson/Mail Tribune Starting June 1, public can use the trail only Off-trail areas along much of the Bear Creek Greenway will close to the public starting Wednesday, the first day of fire season in southwest Oregon. People can still use the paved path popular with walkers, joggers, bicyclists and horse riders. The path that follows alongside Bear Creek is surrounded by natural areas with grass, brush and trees. The off-trail closure applies to land owned by Jackson County along the Greenway, which stretches from Ashland to Central Point. The Jackson County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously earlier this month to close off-trail areas for this year’s fire season. The Oregon Department of Forestry Southwest District has declared Wednesday the start of fire season. County commissioners closed off-trail areas along the Greenway during the 2021 fire season as well. “We took the exact same action last year,” said County Administrator Danny Jordan. “This will allow people to continue to use the trail. We typically will groom about 10 feet on each side of the trail. The trail is about 10 feet wide. People need to stay on the paved portion of the trail.” Trimming vegetation along the trail helps reduce fire danger while also keeping the path unobstructed. The county will post signs warning people to stay on the paved path. The Greenway has always been a place vulnerable to fires, especially human-caused. The full danger was revealed in September 2020 when the Almeda fire burned from Ashland through Phoenix along the corridor that includes the Greenway, Highway 99 and Interstate 5, destroying thousands of homes and businesses.