Above: Residents can “open-air burn” certain kinds of “brush” (within limits and with permits) on approved days. (old photo of burning brush by Susan Fitzgerald)
Brush burning season opened yesterday, and continues through the first of May. But before you break out the matches, you’ll need to get permission in two stages.
First you’ll need to pay for the season permit here.
After that, each time you plan to “open air burn”, you’ll need to check the “burn ban status and register your intent to burn”. Hearing today’s gusting winds outside my windows is a good reminder of why. (I’m pretty confident that burning is banned for today!)
The Southborough Fire Department’s website explains that the safety for burning isn’t determined by the town. The call is made by both the The Department of Conservation and Recreation’s (DCR) Bureau of Forest Fire Control and The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) have power to deny burning authorization:
DCR determines the likelihood of out-of-control fires occurring while DEP determines the likelihood of environmental/public impacts from open-air smoke.
These Departments post their approval or denial for burning each day by 9 am and reserve the right to amend their decisions at any time during the day.
Revocations can unexpectedly occur:
Weather conditions can change rapidly, especially in the spring. If winds kick up or other atmospheric conditions change suddenly at any time during the day, burning permit authorizations may be suspended and ongoing fires must be extinguished immediately.
As always, the burning is only for residents, not commercial properties. And residents aren’t allowed to burn brush from commercial/industrial land clearing. (Some materials from agricultural clearing are allowed.) Other Don’ts include burning grass, hay, leaves and stumps, tires, and construction material/debris.
The SFD specifies that while burning:
- An adult must attend to the fire at all times until completely extinguished.
- The person attending the fire must be able to be contacted by the Fire Department at all times (i.e. cell phone).
- A water supply, capable of extinguishing the fire, must be readily available.
- Smoke, soot and ash from your fire cannot create a nuisance to others or to the environment.
Failure to adhere to the regulations “will result in the suspension of your burning permit, and/or fines.”
For SFD’s posted details including the full lists of Dos, Don’ts and Safety measures, click here.
