Outdoor burning laws

[RidgeTopWVA]

I guess that explains why you need a permit and we don't, although it looks like we're going to have a dry spell here for a while but I don't anticipate anybody will be stupid enough to start a brush fire.

This is a sad and funny story , doe's anyone remember a few years ago that they were having forest fires in the west and there was a woman that worked for the park service she was on lack of better terms on a firewatch and she burnt up a love letter from her boyfriend and started another forest fire.

 

[3 Horse Ranch]

In WA we can't burn lumber or scrap iron.



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Bruce

The silly thing is, you can legally burn any wood that isn't painted or treated, cardboard or junk-mail in your wood stove and it's perfectly legal. I used to heat my house with mill ends.

 

[jyoutz]

I guess that explains why you need a permit and we don't, although it looks like we're going to have a dry spell here for a while but I don't anticipate anybody will be stupid enough to start a brush fire.

The northeast has forests dominated by deciduous trees. They don’t burn with leaf on and just burn as ground fires with leaf off. Not much potential for large wildfires. The west and southeast have forests dominated by conifers that have resinous needles. These forests can burn with explosive crown fires across large landscapes. There is simply no comparison. And coniferous logs can retain embers for several days that can ignite fires when a strong Pacific cold front moves in days later, even if conditions were moist when the fire was started. It takes looking at both current and future forecast conditions to determine good burning days.

 

[kenmbz]

They have pretty big fires in the NJ pine barrens every year or two.
Sometimes from people not knowing better, but most often from military training ordnance.
Don't think they get permits to fire weapons or drop fuel in the wrong place.....

 

[jyoutz]

They have pretty big fires in the NJ pine barrens every year or two.
Sometimes from people not knowing better, but most often from military training ordnance.
Don't think they get permits to fire weapons or drop fuel in the wrong place.....

Yep. The pine barrens are another coniferous forest type that has a long history of burning. And the military also has a long history of starting wildfires

 

[Racenut]

A permit valid up to a year will keep people from burning at the wrong time? and I'm sure the idiots that need instruction will apply.

It doesn't stop all of them, but it seems to help with some of them. Even in California, burn permits are free and simple to get. Takes about 4 minutes online, 2 of those minutes being you have to watch a Fire Safety video that tries to prevent you from doing something stupid. Never underestimate the stupidity of people

I guess that explains why you need a permit and we don't, although it looks like we're going to have a dry spell here for a while but I don't anticipate anybody will be stupid enough to start a brush fire.

We do seem to have more than our fair share of idiots out here, but an Indiana brush fire vs a California brush fire are not the same monster. Which is why insurance companies are cancelling left and right and fire insurance rates are higher than property taxes.

 

[Dftodd]

The laws just push illegal dumping.

I wouldn't necessarily say it's laws that promote illegal dumping.

Some of it is just plain laziness. I remember back in the 70's it was nothing for someone to drive down the road and toss their trash out the window.

Down the road from the shop at work, people would just toss couches, beds, etc.... out on the side of the road. Either they were to poor to pay the dump fees or to lazy to haul it to the landfill.

 

[Dftodd]

I am used to burn permits here are valid for 24 hours, and final approval must be obtained day of... and yes, lots of idiots around. Personally, I have the fire department rules for mowing taped to the side of my fridge, temp, wind, and humidity all go into the flow chart.


Actually, given the price of freon, most of those AC/fridge Freon capture programs at dumps are money makers. I had a small can of Freon that I bought a while back, and was blown away to discover the 14oz can going for $100. Around here, they also usually pull the compressor and copper and aluminum tubing for recycling as well. Reduce, reuse, recycle and all that. The less that goes into the landfills, the longer the landfills will last.

All the best,

Peter

When I lived in Vermont, they required burn permits.

I used to just wait till there was a foot of snow on the ground and starting to snow on a weekend. Then I would go out and touch them off.

No news to worry about it going anywhere

 

[jyoutz]

When I lived in Vermont, they required burn permits.

I used to just wait till there was a foot of snow on the ground and starting to snow on a weekend. Then I would go out and touch them off.

No news to worry about it going anywhere

I like to build my brush piles all summer and then burn after the first few winter snows. Light it and walk away.

 

[ponytug]

Personally, I wouldn't get too complacent about not being "out West" when it comes to fire danger. There have been some biggies in the Midwest and East coast. The 1825 Mirimachi fire in Maine is estimated at 3 million acres, Michigan fire of 1871 is estimated at 2.5 million acres, the 1.2 million acre 1871 Peshtigo fire in Wisconsin was also pretty bad, as was the 1881 Michigan "Thumb" fire of around a million acres. By all accounts those fires rivaled western confirm fires for intensity and rapid spread. There is a hypothesis that the 1871 fires might have been caused by meteorites, but high winds certainly exacerbated the situation.

As a kid, we burned bottom land with a couple of people and some rakes. In hindsight, the lack of a pump or tractor to disc the fire under seems idiotic. Live and learn. Certainly different times.

All the best,

Peter