By Micah Drew DAILY MONTANAN
Montana’s winter burning season began on Dec. 1, and the Montana Department of Environmental Quality closely regulates open burning during these months, especially in the state’s western half, where smoke can become trapped in mountain valleys creating inversion conditions with poor air quality.
In a news release, the department outlined its regulations for the open burning season.
DEQ monitors atmospheric conditions every day during the winter months to determine when and where it’s safe to conduct burns. Open burning does not include small recreational fires, flares or construction site heaters.
Open burns — outdoor burning of clean, untreated wood and plant material such as slash piles, yard and field waste — are allowed during the winter, but only by permit in Montana’s western burn zone, which includes the following counties: Lincoln, Flathead, Sanders, Lake, Mineral, Missoula, Powell, Lewis & Clark, Ravalli, Granite, Deer Lodge, Silver Bow, Jefferson, Broadwater, Beaverhead, Madison, Gallatin, and Park (south of I-90 only).
Residents interested in conducting burns in the western zone must submit a Wintertime Open Burning Request form by 4 p.m. for burns planned the following day. For weekend burns, requests must be submitted by 3 p.m. on Friday. Burns will be approved the day prior based on forecasted atmospheric conditions.
Residents in Lewis and Clark, Yellowstone, Flathead, Missoula, Lincoln and Cascade Counties, as well as on all tribal lands may be subject to additional regulations. Residents should contact their local air quality agency before submitting their Burn Request Form to ensure compliance with any additional local rules and restrictions.
No permit is required to conduct open burning in the eastern burn zone, but residents are asked to notify DEQ by telephone at (406) 444-3490.
Only clean, untreated wood and plant material may be burned. Do not burn: food wastes, plastics, wood that has been coated, painted, stained, or treated, dead animals or animal droppings, rubber materials, chemicals, asphalt shingles, tar paper, hazardous wastes or structures containing these materials.
For more information, including local contact information, visit burnclosures.mt.gov.
