Burning Brush Safely

By Tom Matthews  

By Massachusetts law, the burning season is from January 1st to May 1st. It's up to the fire chief in every town to set the local dates for burning within those limits. In Dunstable, the season is from January 15th to April 15th. Individuals wishing to burn debris must place a call, to the town hall on weekdays or to the Fire Chief on weekends, to get verbal permission. There are no written permits in Dunstable for outside burning. The call has to be made before 10 a.m., and the fire must be out by 4 p.m.

Burning anything outside can be dangerous, whether it's a bonfire, camp fire, cooking fire, or brush fire. In a split second, things can get out of hand and cause personal injury or property damage. We have had our share of brush fires caused by fires not being properly extinguished at the conclusion of a burn.

The state permits a burning season to allow downed branches and limbs to be disposed of. The land fills will no longer take brush, so the only feasible way to dispose of it, currently, is to burn it. (Ultimately the best thing for the environment would be to chip the brush and use the wood chips in the landscape.)

Legally, you may burn brush, cane, driftwood, forestry debris, tree prunings, dead raspberry stalks, blueberry patches and infected beehives. 

It is illegal to burn grass, hay, leaves, stumps or tires. These items put out a dark, thick smoke that can be a harmful for people with breathing ailments -- especially the tires, which put out an acrid smoke that is a serious threat to health.

If you have brush to burn:

• Call town hall or the fire chief and get permission.
• Check the weather make sure the conditions are right and that there is no predicted change in the weather.  Weather changes are often accompanied by winds which can cause fire to spread out of control.
• Set the fire no less than 75 feet from any structure
• You must have an adequate water supply near by.
• Keep a phone handy, so that if something does go wrong you can call the fire department.

It is best to have the fire on bare ground, but if you must have it on the grass, dig a circle around it down to mineral soil to help prevent it from spreading. Start small, with dry natural kindling. DO NOT use gasoline or charcoal lighter fluid. If you must use a helper, kerosene is the safest. Never allow the fire to become bigger than you can safely put out with your hose. Do not add green (live) material to the fire, which produces thick smoke. Make sure someone attends to the fire at all times until it is out. To extinguish the fire, burn everything down to the coals, soak the coals and ashes with water, spread them around, and soak again. Then take the back of your hand and carefully feel for any hot spots. If you do find hot spots, spread and soak some more.