Now Open: Permissive Open Burning Season For Agriculture

BAY AREA, CA – Permissive open burning season for orchard pruning and attrition fires as well as forest management are now open through April 30 of 2018, air quality officials announced Wednesday.

The Bay Area Air Quality Management District announced that the season is open for the nine Bay Area counties. This includes Napa and Sonoma counties, where the North Bay wildfires recently raged.

"This is an open period now, but you need to check with us before burning," said Ralph Borrmann, a spokesman for the Air District. "If there is a Spare The Air alert in effect, it would not be permissible to burn."

"It's a day-by-day call depending on the conditions," said Borrmann. "On certain days there are good conditions to allow the smoke to dissipate."

At certain times of the year we don't want these fires because weather conditions don't allow smoke to dissipate very well but this time of year, the air quality will facilitate the dissipation," Borrmann said.

The Air District recommends that residents of Napa and Sonoma contact the Regional Resource Center to check out other programs to deal with agricultural waste.

"Instead of open burning, they may have prune and compost or a chipping program available to handle waste instead of burning," Borrmann said.

Orchard pruning and attrition fires are agricultural fires that are used to dispose of limbs and leaves pruned or fallen from fruit trees, nut trees, vineyards and cane fruits, according to the Air District.

These fires must be set or permitted by the public fire official having jurisdiction, the agency said. The fires are necessary to maintain and continue the growing of fruit trees, vineyards and cane fruits in croplands.

By Bay City News Service / Image via Shutterstock