This past winter and fall we measured more smoke at the Seeley Lake air quality monitor than we have for several years. Since Oct. 1, there have been 11 days when smoke pollution exceeded the National Ambient Air Quality Standard. While smoke from wood stoves continues to be the primary driver of smoke pollution in the area, there were four days during the fall outdoor burning season in which smoke from outdoor burns likely contributed to poor air quality.
With outdoor burning opening on March 1st, we wanted to take this opportunity to answer some questions we encounter about Missoula’s outdoor burning program.
Do I need a permit to burn my yard waste? What about for my hazard reduction project? Yes! All outdoor burning requires a Missoula County outdoor burn permit. They cost $7.00 and can be purchased online at http://www.burnpermit.mt.gov. If you would like assistance purchasing or renewing a permit and you’re in the Seeley Lake area, please contact the Seeley Lake Fire Department. If you’re in the Condon area, contact Swan Valley Connections. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, agencies may not be open to the public, so please call ahead before visiting in person!
Missoula County outdoor burning permits are joint fire protection and air quality permits. Rather than requiring Missoula County residents to seek burning clearance from two separate agencies, we’ve joined the burn approval process into a single system. The permit terms and conditions cover both fire protection and air quality topics.
Do campfires need burn permits? No. Small campfires and recreational fires in the county do not require outdoor burning permits. Be mindful of fire danger restrictions and always make sure your fire is dead-out before leaving it. If your fire’s purpose is to dispose of the material being burned (i.e. you’re getting rid of tree limbs), it requires a permit.
Why does burning close? During high fire danger, the Missoula County Fire Protection Association closes outdoor burning. This decision usually comes down at the start of July but can come earlier or later depending on weather conditions and wildfire activity. Once burning closes due to fire danger, it will stay closed until wildfire season ends. This means folks with General burn permits are unlikely to have burning opportunities in July or August. It’s a good idea complete your burning before July, so you don’t risk having a burn pile that has to sit until the following spring.
During periods of poor dispersion, the Missoula City-County Air Pollution Control Program will restrict burning. This is done to reduce the amount of smoke lingering in valleys. Air quality restrictions are most frequent in the fall burning season when longer, colder nights create strong inversions that trap smoke in valley floors. High pressure ridges also cause issues in the fall because limited convection prevents air from lifting out of the valley during the day, and strong cold weather inversions can last for days. Under poor dispersion conditions, smoke produced by outdoor burning (or other human activities) will build up. Almost all air quality-related outdoor burning restrictions occur in November.
Why are there air quality-related burn restrictions? Smoke is bad for you. The fine particulate matter in smoke penetrates deep into your lungs and can pass into you blood stream where it sets off an inflammatory response. It causes worsened frequency and severity of asthma attacks, increased COPD symptoms, increased risk of heart attack and stroke, increased hospital visits and increased mortality. Outdoor burning is an important tool for foresters. Prescribed understory and broadcast burns play an essential role in forest and ecosystem health. However, all burning produces smoke and air quality-based burn restrictions are there to limit the likelihood of that smoke harming sensitive individuals in populated areas.
Why are there different burn permit types? The three burn permit types have different expiration dates. The later in the year we get, the fewer people are permitted to burn. This is because dispersion conditions worsen the closer you get to winter.
The largest burn permit category (General) is for vegetative debris cleanup in the spring. Most Missoula County residents get General burn permits. Dispersion conditions are typically good in the spring, and our airsheds can better handle smoke from 4,000+ Missoula County outdoor burners. General permits expire Aug. 31, but it’s a good idea to complete your general burning before July and the arrival of high fire danger.
Essential agriculture permits are a smaller permit category and are for clearing cultivated fields or irrigation ditches of vegetative debris. The burning must occur on a farm or a ranch. These permits expire Oct. 31.
Prescribed wildland permits are for forestry burns, hazard reduction projects, beetle-kill cleanup, log deck reduction, etc. The burning must occur on forested or undeveloped rangeland. These permits expire Nov. 30.
With all burn permit types, it’s best to plan for spring burning to avoid burn restrictions. There are very rarely burn restrictions in spring, but they can become common late in fall.
How do I know if burning is open? Activate your burn permit! If the burn permit system allows you to activate your permit, that means burning is open for the day. If burning is closed, the system will tell you it’s closed and will also tell you why – either for fire danger or due to poor dispersion conditions.
How do I know if that smoke plume is from a permitted burn? You can check online! When outdoor burners activate their burns, the permit system plots their burn location on a publicly available map. This is a great tool for our local fire protections agencies and helps Missoula County residents know if their neighbors are burning. If you want to check out the legal burns in your area, visit http://www.burnpermit.mt.gov, pull up Missoula County and select “View current burn activity.” You can check for current U.S. Forest Service, DNRC and BLM burns by visiting mi.airshedgroup.org and selecting the “Current Burns” tab.
Still have questions? Call your friendly air quality specialist at 258-4755!
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