Open burning season ends, permits required

Open burning season in Sanders and Mineral counties officially ended April 30, and burn permits are now required until fire season begins.

Starting May 1, and continuing until conditions are no longer favorable for safe burning, permits are required to burn yard debris or logging slash. Depending on which jurisdiction one is in, burn permits are available at your local U.S. Forest Service, the Montana Department of Natural Resources and

Conservation, or from the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes office in Ronan.

For people wishing to burn in Sanders or Mineral counties, there are five locations where burning permits can be secured at no cost. If it is unfeasible for residents to physically pick up their permits, they can be issued by phone and/or on-site visits from the responsible agencies.

In the western portion of Sanders County, including the communities of Trout Creek, Noxon and Heron, the Cabinet Ranger District in Trout Creek is charged with administering the burn permit program, which includes private, state and Kootenai National Forest Lands. To obtain a burn permit in this area, visit

the Cabinet Ranger district office west of Trout Creek at 2693 Highway 200, or call the office at 827-3533.

Tribal members or non-members planning to burn on tribal lands in the northern portion of Sanders County in the Hot Springs area need to go to the website www.csktfire.org, where they can provide the required information to secure their permits. The Ronan Fire office of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes is located at 44592 Old Highway 93, and the phone number is 676-2550. Burning by permit will cease by June 30 on BIA lands and perhaps earlier depending on conditions..

The Plains Unit of the Montana DNRC, headquartered at 14 Airport Road, administers the fire protection area surrounding the community of Plains approximately five to seven miles east, west and south of city limits, and the Thompson River corridor north to Highway 2. Visit the DNRC office at 14 Airport

Road or call 826-3851 for burn permit information.

The Plains/Thompson Falls Ranger District office at 408 Clayton Street in Plains administers the remainder of Sanders County on all USFS, DNRC and private lands to the boundary between the Lolo and Kootenai National Forests. To acquire a permit on the Plains/Thompson Falls Forest Service protection

area, visit the district office at 408 Clayton Avenue in Plains or call 826-3821.

The Superior Ranger District, headquartered at 209 West Riverside Avenue in Superior, administers the burn permit program for most of Mineral County, including the St. Regis and Cutoff areas.

If not available to visit the district office in person, call 822-4233 for permit information.

In the Superior, Plains and Thompson Falls areas, the U.S. Forest Service and the Montana DNRC offices are responsible for issuing permits within their fire protection areas, which includes all state, private and federal lands on and adjacent to the Lolo National Forest, outside of city limits.

Regardless of which protection area the permit is issued to, the responsibility for safe burning remains with the landowner. Any costs associated with the containment of an escaped fire can be charged back against the landowner. Although having a valid permit is the first step to safe, legal burning by homeowners, the possession of a permit does not free individuals from liability if an escaped burn were to occur.

After the permit is secured but before burning is initiated, people need to call the Airshed Hotline at 1-800- 225-6779 (or visit www.smokemu.org) to see if air quality restrictions are in effect, and to check the weather forecast, either by calling the National Weather Service information hotline at 329-4840 or 721-3939 (for recorded weather), or by visiting the organization’s website at www.wrh.noaa.gov.

There are two types of burning allowed under the terms of the permits being issued in Sanders County, either agricultural debris from farming, ranching and gardening, or natural debris created from activities such as land clearing or timber harvest, or natural accumulations of needles, grasses, leaves, shrubs, limbs and trees.

Materials that should not be burned in debris piles include treated, coated or painted wood or lumber, tar paper, tires or any type of rubber, oil or petroleum products, asphalt shingles, insulated wire, oil products, Styrofoam, plastics, food wastes, animal parts or waste, hazardous waste, including asbestos or asbestos containing materials, business waste, and or any other manmade materials.

Before burning, ensure that water is available to and around the area where the burn will occur, that tools and equipment are on hand and ready to use; and that additional equipment and help is available if needed.

When burning is complete, the permitted fire must be attended until no smoke or live embers remain.