Spring Backyard Burning Season

March 1, begins the annual spring backyard burning season. Now is the time to clear your yard debris and dispose of them before the summer months. The spring burn season is regulated by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and typically runs from March 1 to June 15. It is important to note that DEQ consideres the air quality of each day when they decide to open burning or not. Fire departments can close burning, but only because of fire safety concerns such as hot and dry weather. This fire safety burn ban generally starts in July and runs into October, but it can start earlier if weather conditions dictate a concern for fire safety. To find out if burning is allowed you can call 503.992.3242 every day to hear a pre-recorded message on our open burning hotline.

Backyard burning is allowed in Forest Grove and the surrounding communities and cities. DEQ does have an open burning ban area in Washington County, but it does not include the areas protected by our fire department. In the city of Forest Grove there are alternatives to burning that you may want to consider this spring. Perhaps the easiest is the curb side green waste debris containers from our Waste Management hauler. This weekly service can help most residential customers get rid of their unused yard debris.

If you are a gardner a great debris removal option may be composting. This "green" method can help you rid yourself of your yard debris while at the same time creating wonderful soil for your garden. I have personally found that composting takes a little effort and practice to get the methods to work, but if you have a little bit of extra room you can easily dispose of your yard debris and some household waste as well all the while creating awesome soil for use in your yard and garden.

If these options do not work for you or your property you can burn your debris. Some fire safety guidelines and good ideas if you do choose to burn your debris:

1. Only burn dry debris, covering your piles during the rainy days can cut down on the smoke and complaints that we recieve from frustrated neighbors.
   
2. Only burn legal debris, back yard burning is for yard debris like limbs and brush, burning garbage, lumber, or other materials is strictly against the DEQ open burning regulations and can bring a hefty fine from the local DEQ office.
   
3. Locate your burn well away from anything that can burn like fences, structures, and other vegetation and landscaping. Also clear all grass so you have a three foot wide fire break of bare dirt around your burn pile. This will help prevent the grass from burning or escaping sparks from igniting things you dont want it to.
   
4. Always attend your burn pile, have a garden hose, and one of a shovel/pitchfork/rake avaialble to help control the fire if it starts to get out of hand. If you think the fire is at risk of getting out of control call 9-1-1 immediately.
   
5. Once you are done burning please make sure that the fire is completely out. Just like a campfire in the summer time, soak your ash and debris with water and stir them with a shovel until you can no longer notice any steam.

This burn pile near Dilley got out of control and spread to the surrounding field last summer

Some phone numbers and resources that you may need this burn season:

• Open Burning Hotline for daily burning updates 503.992.3242 (updated daily by 8:30 am)
  
• Emergency dispatch for out of control burns 9-1-1. Other non emergency calls please use the 24 hour non emergency number 503.629.0111.
  
• To report an air quality complaint, smoke, or other illegal burning please call the Portland DEQ office at 503.229.5393.
  
• DEQ Open Burning Guide to help answer your questions regarding open burning infomration

One final thing, the always present question about agricultural burning. Ag burning is considered by the DEQ to be for burning debris from an actual farming operation. We commonly get questions from rural residents that ask if they can burn because back yard burning is closed, but Ag burning is open. Ag burning is not intended for typical land debris removal for our rural community unless it is from an agricultural operation.