Do summer activities impact the air we breathe? They can if you drive a car or do some outdoor burning in urbanized areas when it’s hot outside. Particulate matter from vehicles and smoke can get trapped in hot air, which may contribute to higher ozone levels that have been linked to lung and heart disease in humans.
To help diminish air issues surrounding ozone pollutants, the Georgia Environmental Protection Division institutes outdoor burning restrictions in 54 Georgia counties from May 1 to September 30. Affected counties are mostly in north and central Georgia, and are: Banks, Barrow, Bartow, Bibb, Butts, Carroll, Catoosa, Chattooga, Cherokee, Clarke, Clayton, Cobb, Columbia, Coweta, Crawford, Dawson, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Floyd, Forsyth, Fulton, Gordon, Gwinnett, Hall, Haralson, Heard, Henry, Houston, Jackson, Jasper, Jones, Lamar, Lumpkin, Madison, Meriwether, Monroe, Morgan, Newton, Oconee, Paulding, Peach, Pickens, Pike, Polk, Putnam, Richmond, Rockdale, Spalding, Troup, Twiggs, Upson, Walker, and Walton. Landowners in these counties are restricted from burning yard and land-clearing debris. Campfires, cooking fires, and certain agriculture burns are permitted.
Outside of the burn-restricted counties, prescribed burning and some outdoor burning are still permitted when weather conditions are suitable. Those Georgia landowners are required to follow specific fire safety guidelines, along with any local ordinances governing debris burning. The five safety precautions now mandated by law include set spacing between fires and woodlands and structures, burn times from sunrise to sunset, burner attendance at the fire, and reasonable precautions such as weather awareness and suppression tools.
And heads up – the number of wildfires in Georgia has been elevated this spring. As the summer outdoor recreation season begins, the Georgia Forestry Commission is asking everyone to help lower the risk of wildfire by paying close attention to weather conditions and safety precautions.
For more information about annual summer burn restrictions, burn permits, and services of the Georgia Forestry Commission, visit GaTrees.org.