Residents encouraged to take precautions when burning

REGION – Spring marks the beginning of the busiest time of the year for local first responders battling wildfires.

To start and sustain a fire, you need three things; fuel, oxygen and a spark. Coming out of winter, an abundance of dead, dry grass and brush provides the perfect fuel for wildfires. And with everyone anxious to begin yard clean-up activities on sunny spring days, sources of sparks are abundant. In fact, the major cause of wildfires in most years is debris burning. If you plan to burn, make sure you know what and how you can burn, and always follow good safety practices.

Before you start, make sure it is safe (and legal) to burn the items you want to eliminate. Burn permits are generally not required for cooking or recreational campfires, burning of household waste in an appropriate container, or burning if there is continuous snow cover adjacent to your fire.

Permits are issued for burning brush piles, leaves and grass … although the latter items can also be composted on your own property or at local facilities, creating rich soil that can be used to improve vegetable gardens and flower beds.

Items that should not be burned include plastics, rubber, foam, textiles, chemically treated wood, electronics, or hazardous materials / chemicals.

To obtain a burn permit in the northwest Lower Peninsula, go online at: michigan.gov/burnpermit to view a map of counties with burn permit information. 

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