Burning & smoke management

Prescribed forest burning

Prescribed forest burning is a valuable tool for maintaining a healthy forest and reducing risks to public safety. Prescribed forest burning reduces forest fuels. By reintroducing periodic fire to fire-adapted landscapes, it has also been shown to reduce the potential for high-intensity wildfires and the huge volume of smoke produced by them. Fire suppression is safer, more effective and costs less in areas with a recent history of controlled burning. Prescribed forest burning also helps prepare logged sites for replanting, recycling nutrients back into the soil and reducing pests and disease. These planned fires are lit when fire danger is low and weather conditions are favorable for protecting smoke sensitive receptor area (SSRAs) communities from smoke.

Outdoor burning

Check with your local ODF district, protective association office or rural fire department before burning yard debris. Burn permits are required on all ODF protected lands during fire season. Many areas prohibit all burning when fire danger increases.

Map of smoke-regulated areas