04/25/2001 Env Bd Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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• • Division of Forestry 1200 Warner Road Saint Paul, MN 55106 (651) 772 -7925 / F: (651) 772 -7599 March 30, 2001 To: Fire Chiefs and Fire Marshals, Seven County Metro Area. From: Peggy Sand (Metro Region Forestry Manager) i Lillian Baker (Fire Management Specialist) _ �- 4T Re: Burning Permits for Prescribed Burning during D ' ' es N do eno This letter is to encourage you to issue a burning permit to qualified professionals for legitimate prescribed burning this spring. We acknowledge the local fire authority's right to be more restrictive than the Department of Natural Resources in issuing open burning permits on private land. We also realize that allowing some burning and not others, can create confusion and a large volume of calls to your city hall. However, because controlled burning is critical to certain vegetative management and can be done safely by qualified professionals, we encourage you to issue burn permits for this work, even if DNR spring restrictions prohibit debris burning and other burning by the general public. We are taking this position for the reasons and with the expectations listed below. Because natural fires no longer occur in suburban or urban areas, controlled burns are necessary to replicate the process. The prairie and savanna ecosystems that once covered about half of Minnesota have now been reduced to small fragments scattered throughout the state. Prescribed, or controlled, burns play a significant role in the development and long term health of these native plant communities. Under the right conditions, fire can improve wildlife habitat, reduce competition caused by volunteer trees and shrubs that are capable of invading prairie areas, and convert dead plant material into usable micronutrients in the form of ash. However, prescribed burns must be conducted by qualified professionals who use proven techniques, proper equipment, and adequate notification to local government. Professional prescribed burning requires that there be a) substantial experience in the safe and proper use of controlled burning for vegetation management, b) crew leaders who are trained and qualified, c) appropriate personnel protective equipment utilized, d) appropriate fire control equipment on site, e) effective smoke management, f) neighborhood notification, g) timely notification to local government offices and Fire Departments, h) a call to the Metro Forestry number one hour before lighting any fire and i) an annual report provided to Metro Forestry which includes at least the numbers of prescribed burns conducted and their acreage. Very few private companies meet these expectations. All state agencies are required to meet them. As always, in the event the DNR imposes an outright ban on all open burning including • campfires, even professional prescribed burning will be prohibited.