SCFC to lift burning ban for 12 Upstate counties Wednesday
Photo Courtesy: SCFC
COLUMBIA—The South Carolina Forestry Commission says it will lift the State Forester’s Burning Ban for 12 counties in the Piedmont region of the state, effective at 7 a.m., Wednesday, April 29.
The counties coming off the burning ban are Abbeville, Anderson, Cherokee, Chester, Greenville, Greenwood, Laurens, Oconee, Pickens, Spartanburg, Union and York.
Agency officials say the weather factors that prompted the statewide burning ban 12 days ago have moderated in the northwestern part of the state, augmented primarily by an inch or more of rainfall in most areas.
“The lack of significant rainfall across most of the rest of the state is keeping fuels dry, and the current overall conditions in the central, eastern and southern counties remain volatile,” said SCFC Fire Chief Darryl Jones. “Even without high winds and low relative humidity, the dry weather and drought conditions are expected to remain until we get extended soaking rain.”
Citizens who may plan to conduct outdoor burning of residential yard debris or prescribed burns must still notify the Forestry Commission before doing so.
Residential yard debris burning
State law requires citizens who live in unincorporated areas to notify the Forestry Commission before burning outdoors. In most cases, the law applies to burning leaves, limbs and branches that people clean up from their yards. Citizens who do live in city/town limits must still abide by any burning ordinances in their local jurisdictions.
Citizens can make notification online by visiting scfc.gov/notify or by calling the toll-free notification number for the county in which they live, found here: scfc.gov/protection/fire-
Prescribed burning
State law requires that you notify the Forestry Commission before burning for forestry, wildlife management or agricultural purposes. This includes burning for wildfire hazard reduction, brush control, endangered species management, wildlife habitat improvement, plant disease control, crop residue removal and preparation of land for planting trees or agricultural crops. All burning for forestry, wildlife and agriculture must comply with SC Smoke Management Guidelines. To make a notification, regardless of county, please call (800) 777-3473.
