California Forest Stewardship Program: Burn piles

Burning is one way to get rid of your excess fuel but, because of concerns about fire escape and air quality, you¹ll have to make a few phone calls first.

The California Air Resources Board (CARB), local air quality districts and California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CDF) are the responsible state agencies for prescribed burning of private and state lands. Under Title 17 of the California Code of Regulations (Public Health), the CARB has established a set of regulations that need to be implemented prior to burning.

Before you burn, it is critical to find out if it is an authorized burn day by calling both the local air quality district and CDF. There may be limited hours for burning as well as various burning restrictions within the different air districts. In addition, landowners must contact their local CDF office for a permit, and/or the local air quality district to see if a Smoke Management Plan (SMP) must be submitted.

In order to encourage a hot fire that will readily combust material and reduce smoke, CARB and the local air quality districts have established a set of minimum drying times, which will lower the fuel moisture content.* These drying times are set between the time of cutting and the time of burning.

Drying times are a minimum of six weeks for trees, stumps, and large branches greater than six inches in diameter. For most forest management burning, contact your local air quality district and CDF to determine specified drying time, which may be longer than specified above. To help keep the pile dry during inclement weather, it is helpful to cover it with either a tarp or plastic (be sure to remove it prior to burning).

Pile location is also very important. Don¹t place piles near structures, near residual trees as heat convection can damage the crown, and do not place them under or near power lines.

When igniting piles, here are a few things to keep in mind. Do not burn when adjacent fuel moisture levels are very low or when you have strong winds; this will decrease your chances of the fire escaping.

Protect your residual stand; do not light the pile if there are strong winds blowing toward it. For large landing piles, ignite the side of the pile adjacent to the residual stand. By doing this you are burning away from your trees.

The best time to burn is just before a rain, when the relative humidity is high. It is good to have some wind, unstable air, but do not burn in high wind conditions. For information on fire weather, go to the National Fire Weather Page at http://www.boi.noaa.gov/firewx.htm.

* These standards may vary by Air Quality District. Please contact your local Air Quality District to determine the appropriate drying times.

Here are some burn pile management guidelines for landowners:

Arrange the material to be burned so that it will burn with a minimum of smoke. Place material of various sizes in the pile for adequate air flow.

Except for large trees (diameter of six or more inches), ignite only the amount that can reasonably be expected to completely burn within the following 24 hours.

Ignite outdoor fires only with ignition devices approved by the local air quality district and CDF.

Ignite material to be burned as rapidly as practical within applicable fire control restrictions.

Curtail, mitigate, or extinguish burning when smoke is drifting into a nearby populated area or creating a public nuisance.

Don¹t burn material unless it is free of tires, rubbish, tar paper and construction debris; is reasonably free of dirt, soil, and moisture; and is loosely stacked in such a manner as to promote drying and ensure combustion with a minimum of smoke.

Some air districts and/or counties may limit the amount of needles and leaves within a pile, as well as burning hours throughout the day.

How to burn piles properly