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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- Dec. 8, 1999
99-259
Contact: Jani Gilbert, Public Information Manager, 509-456-4464; pager, 509-622-1289
SPOKANE - Final burn permit figures for the fall of 1999 indicate wheat stubble burning has substantially decreased when compared to fall 1998 figures.
According to the Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology), the burning permits issued during the late summer and fall totaled 92,000 acres this year compared to 129,000 acres during the same period in 1998.
"We are gratified to see that wheat growers have taken very seriously the need to cut back," said Grant Pfeifer, Ecology's air quality supervisor in Eastern Washington. "We need to continue the trend and make further reductions in next spring."
Pfeifer said the decline was likely due to a couple of factors: The amount of residue on the field was lower in 1999, and the farmers were using a new set of best management practices that were designed to reduce burning.
"Farmers understand the importance of their actions," said Jon Jones, manager of the Whitman Conservation District, which issues burn permits in Whitman County. "They took great responsibility. When we sat down and worked with them, often they would realize that some areas didn't really need to be burned."
This fall, wheat and other cereal-grain growers used new "best management practices" (BMPs) to address particular problems in their fields such as insect infestations, plant diseases and excess field residue. The BMPs identify alternative measures for controlling problems and require farmers to use any reasonable, non-burning alternative.
"The new BMPs redefined what is permissible and what isn't," said Pfeifer. "The old BMPs did not reduce emissions enough to adequately protect public health."
Under the new BMPs, growers are required to do a thorough field inspection and carefully document the need to burn before a permit is considered. Growers are held accountable for the information they provide and are strongly encouraged to consult with a professional agronomist
Burning is discouraged in most cases for ridding a field of excess residue from a prior harvest. Under some circumstances, burning is not allowed at all. Economics cannot be the sole justification for the need to burn.
Burning is not allowed when weather conditions do not allow for adequate smoke dispersal. Permitting authorities in each county make the burn/ no-burn decisions based on meteorological information and computer modeling. Fall 1999 was the first burn season to use the new burn/ no-burn designation system in Washington.
As an example, in Whitman County between July and November 1999, 89 "no-burn" days were called, compared to 64 days when burning was allowed for limited hours.
When burning is allowed, it is authorized only on the part of the field affected by the insects or weeds, not on any adjacent land.
Last February, the Washington Association of Wheat Growers signed an agreement with the state departments of Ecology and Agriculture to reduce smoke emissions by at least 50 percent over the next seven years.
The first year of the agreement began in the fall and will not be complete until spring 2000 figures are in.
"The agreement supplements the BMPs and helped ensure improvements right away," said Pfeifer. The results this fall give us every reason to believe that the agreement will be successful in reducing emissions. We are optimistic that spring burning will be reduced as well."
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
