Smoke'll get in your eyes, seasonal Burn Ban ends Oct. 1 Georgia’s trees and forests Burn permits

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

Sustainability

Trees are a renewable resource providing clean air, clean water and abundant products. Georgia’s forests are being sustainably managed to meet the growing needs of citizens. With the wise use of knowledge and resources, Georgians can keep our forests sustainable for present and future generations.

Georgia’s commercial timberlands grow 19 million tons more wood each year than is harvested, resulting in growth exceeding removals by 38 percent.

Georgia’s timberland coverage has remained stable since the 1950s. Forest losses in metro areas have been offset by converting old farm lands back to forest lands in other parts of the state.

Because the net growth of our forests has consistently exceeded net removals, the volume of timber in Georgia is greater now than it was in the 1930s.

Value to Georgia citizens

Georgia’s forest lands provide immense value to citizens throughout the state in the form of essential ecosystem services - clean water, carbon storage, wildlife habitat and aesthetics. A report by the University of Georgia found that these ecosystem services are worth an estimated $37 billion annually. This is in addition to the value of timber, forest products and recreation.

Contribution to the economy

Georgia’s forest industry is the second largest industry in the state in terms of employment and wages and salaries.

Forest-related industries inject $23.6 billion and 108,112 jobs into the state’s economy, making it Georgia’s second largest manufacturing employer.

Compensation for forest industry employees and supporting businesses exceeds $5.4 billion per year, and forest management and supply to mills by landowners and forest managers generate $900 million in output (mill gate value).

Tree cover

Walker County: 51-60 percent forested Catoosa County: 36-50 percent forested

a significant contributor of smogforming 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. Permits may be obtained 24 hours a day by calling 1-877-OK2-BURN (1-877-6522876) or online at GaTrees.org. No burn permits are issued inside the city limits of Chickamauga, LaFayette, Lookout Mountain or Rossville.

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 been campfires that were left unattended. In a normal year that might not have presented a wildfire danger.”

While some protest any government regulation of open burning, those who choose not to obtain permits can face fines and hefty bills.

People have found that picking up a telephone and obtaining a permit is not only easy, it can save money.

Forestry Division crews, without charge, will help extinguish permitted fires that get out of control.

But if there is no permit, the person who started the fire can be charged for the use of firefighters time and material — something officials say can be very expensive if aerial support is required.