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County issues new rules on wood burning

In early October, the Washington County Board of Commissioners approved new rules to protect the public’s health by reducing wood smoke. The ordinance is designed to raise awareness of wood smoke as a health issue and prevent unnecessary burning when the air quality is particularly poor. It goes into effect on November 6, 2015.

Washington County Public Health monitors daily air quality for levels of PM2.5, a type of fine air pollution caused in large part by wood smoke. The county is at risk for exceeding federal health standards, especially in the winter months when cold air inversions trap particle pollution near the ground for hours and sometimes days. Exposure to wood smoke and PM2.5 can be dangerous, especially for children, older adults and anyone with existing respiratory conditions like asthma.

There are two parts to the ordinance. The first addresses the use of fireplaces, wood stoves and wood stove inserts by residents who live in unincorporated Washington County. The ordinance allows the County to issue air quality advisories between November 1 and March 1. Advisories will be issued in consultation with air quality monitoring experts at the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality.

A “red day” means that air quality is unhealthy and that no fireplace or wood stove use is allowed, unless a resident is exempt (for example, if they rely solely on wood heat and/or are low-income, among other criteria). The ordinance does not restrict the use of pellet stoves. A “yellow day” means air quality is unhealthy for sensitive groups, and a “green day” indicates that air quality is healthy.

Residents are encouraged to sign up to receive air quality and wood burning alerts for red days at publicalerts.org. Washington County will also post the daily status on their website at co.washington.or.us/air.

The second part of the ordinance prohibits yard debris burning year round for anyone who lives in unincorporated Washington County and receives yard debris pick-up from their hauler. This new rule does not apply to agricultural burning or restrict recreational fires, such as backyard fire pits or chimineas.

The County is developing a free “hardship permit” for circumstances where burning may be the only possible option for disposing of yard debris. Residents can enter their address into a map linked at co.washington.or.us/air to see if this part of the ordinance applies to them.

“We recognize that wood burning is a preferred and often times necessary source of heat in our community,” says Marni Kuyl, director of the Department of Health and Human Services. “Keeping families warm this winter remains a top priority, and we will continue to work in a way that supports – not restricts – our residents’ ability to stay warm and healthy.”

Enforcement of the ordinance will be complaint-driven. Information on how to submit a complaint will be posted to the County’s air quality webpage at co.washington.or.us/air before the ordinance takes effect on November 6.

In addition to these new rules, the County is working toward developing a wood stove change-out program that will support families who wish to replace their older wood stove or wood stove insert. More details will be provided as they are known.

Regardless of the red, yellow or green status of the air quality, residents are asked to practice clean burning techniques to minimize pollution, such as:

• Burn dry wood that has seasoned for at least six months.
• Make small, hot fires.
• Do not burn garbage or household waste.
• Don't keep a fire burning overnight. Doing so is a fire hazard and can create serious indoor and outdoor air pollution problems.
• Keep your stove or fireplace clean and well maintained.

For more information, call 503-846-8722 or visit co.washington.or.us/air.

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