Burn ban ends Oct. 1

Even as drought conditions worsen, North Georgians can get ready to fuel fires and feed the burn.

That is because the seasonal ban on outdoor burning of debris and vegetation ends after Sept. 30.

Though the risk of wildfire is high due to a lack of summertime rains, beginning Saturday, Sept. 30, anyone can legally set fire to brush piles, leaves and other vegetative growth — but only with a permit.

“Walker County has been very good about complying with the permitting system,” said Darryl Jackson, chief ranger with Georgia Forestry’s office in LaFayette. “We issue more permits than most counties in this region.”

With nearly half of the county considered as forested, there is always a danger of wildfire when drought combines with falling leaves, and with nearly half of Walker County being forested,

Jackson said that drought conditions could make days when burning is restricted more common and is why everyone should check weather conditions and obtain a permit on the day they intend to burn.

The May 1-Oct. 1 open burning ban is intended to help the state comply with federal regulations and falls under the jurisdiction of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Environmental Protection Division’s Air Protection Branch.

The ban is needed because ozone in the air Georgians breathe can reach unhealthy levels during summer months. The Georgia EPD has identified open burning as a significant contributor of smog-forming pollutants. Consequently, open burning in metro Atlanta and larger counties — including Catoosa and Walker — is curtailed during the summer.

Requiring burn permits is intended to safeguard the public as well as public and private land, officials said.

The summer growing season, when plants and trees are green and less likely to burn, coincides with the ban, but it is when leaves fall and vegetation is dry that opening burning is permitted.

Only natural vegetation — brush, grass clippings, leaves and tree limbs — can be burned and only if that material is piled by hand; no heavy machinery can be used.

But the combination of autumn’s typically dry days with low humidity and gusty winds create conditions that allow small backyard burns to become conflagrations.

That is why Jackson said it is so important to pay attention to details of the permit and the burn itself. When plants are dormant and the fuel supply is dry, high winds can fan a small fire into an inferno.

“With things being so dry it is more important than ever that someone attend the fire during its entire duration,” he said. “Before leaving make certain that all coals and embers have cooled.

“The fires we’ve been called to recently (on Lookout Mountain) have

Burn permits

Permits may be obtained 24 hours a day by calling 1-877-OK2-BURN (1877-652-2876) or online at GaTrees.org.