Up to 10,000 acres of forest reserves in the Wai'anae Mountain range that are popular with hikers, campers and others have been closed to the public because of fire risk.

With grass, shrubs, bushes and trees "turning into kindling in current drought-like conditions," the state Department of Land and Natural Resources has shut the reserves to camping, hiking, hunting, four-wheeling and all other activities, including a bird hunt in the Kuaokala game management area scheduled for the first weekend in November.

The DLNR's Wayne Ching said the agency acted out of concern for public safety because of the dry conditions within the Kuaokala, Mokule'ia, Makua-Kea'ua, Wai'anae and Nanakuli forest reserves.

Those conditions, combined with recent fires in the area, raised alarm about the potential threat to the public, forests and wildlife, Ching said. "It's a recreation area, so there's a lot of traffic in there," he said.

"Oh, yeah, lots of people go up there," said Wai'anae resident Jo Jordan, who had been planning a weekend camping trip with friends to Kuaokala, which she said area campers call Peacock Flats.

"People go there for all kinds of reasons," she said. "Families go to camp out with their children. There's hikers that go up there. In certain areas they allow pig and bird hunting.

"But it's just absolutely gorgeous. From Peacock Flats you can see both sides of the mountain range. You can see and smell things there you never know about down here at sea level. It's a different world up there. It's silent — all you hear is the wind."

Jordan was disappointed the reserves were closed but said she understood why, given the recent attention to fires in the area and in Southern California.

Laura H. Thielen, DLNR chairwoman, said in a press release yesterday, "Since July we have already had several fires on forest reserve lands on O'ahu, at Wa'ahila, Waialua, Wai'anae Valley, and Makua, and yesterday a second fire at Kuaokala."

In addition to the small, quarter-acre fire within the reserve two days ago, a brushfire in Makaha that was touched off a week ago not far from the forest reserve was more cause for alarm, Ching said. That blaze, which wasn't completely contained until Tuesday, blackened 1,000 acres, according to the Honolulu Fire Department. HFD has not determined the cause.

Ching said the forest reserves have been closed during previous periods of extremely dry, potentially hazardous conditions. But he said he doubted that this closure would last long.

He said the Division of Forestry and Wildlife will assess the situation and probably decide Monday how long the area will be closed.

Ching said the reserves might be opened soon if the division can put small fire engines and other fire equipment in place.

"We want to see if we can pre-position some equipment up there in the Kuaokala game management area," he said. "That way, at least we know if there happens to be a fire we can get there quickly."

Reach Will Hoover at whoover@honoluluadvertiser.com.