Photo Courtesy, BC Wildfire Service.

By Veronica Beltran

open burning exemption

Exemptions to open burning open to Peace region grain and oilseed producers

Apr 28, 2020 | 1:09 PM

PRINCE GEORGE—The BC Wildfire service is working alongside agriculture producers in the Peace region to accomodate the burning of residual crops to prepare for the 2020 seeding.

A release by the B.C. Wildfire Service explains that a number of grain crops in the Peace were not harvested in the fall of 2019 due to excess field moisture and snow.

Exemptions from open burning are only open to Peace region grain and oilseed producers who are producing a food crop for 2020 and who follow a specific process:

1. If salvage value exists, combining the crop will be the first option.
2. If salvage potential is low, and equipment and time allow, discing plant fibre into the soil and allowing for the breakdown of residual material can create an appropriate seed bed.
3. The final option is open burning to remove all stubble and allow for an ideal seed bed.

The B.C. Wildfire Service says that the burning of crops should be the last option for any agriculture producer, and that if the first two options are not deemed appropriate for a particular farm, the operator can apply for an exemption letter and burn registration number. Both of those are mandatory before burning can commence.

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Agriculture producers who are burning diseased vegetation should contact ministry staff at OBSCR@gov.bc.ca