What is a 'Special Control Area?" A special control area is a zone that has been established in order to minimize the impacts of open burning on populated areas. The Fire Marshal has determined that All properties within the Harrisburg Fire District are within a Special Control Area. This means that the only types of burning allowed in the HFD are residential yard debris, agricultural waste (see "Agricultural Burning"), and slash burning (see "Slash Burning"), and recreational or ceremonial burning (see "Recreational Burning").

What is the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) "Overlap" area? The ODF overlap area are areas within HFD that are also within the ODF protection district. The ODF Overlap area consists of all lands in the Harrisburg Fire District that are East of Gap Rd and the Mt. Tom area.

Agricultural waste is material generated by an agricultural operation that uses, or intends to use, land primarily for the purpose of obtaining a profit by the raising, harvesting, and selling of crops or animals or other byproducts. Prohibited materials can't be burned, even in an agricultural setting.

Agricultural Activities may include clearing land, but does not include the construction and use of dwellings. The burning of materials associated with a dwelling is not considered part of the farming operation.

The DEQ does not have the authority to regulate agricultural burning. Agricultural field burning is the burning of residue left from the harvest of grass seed or cereal grain crops, and is regulated in the Willamette Valley by the Department of Agriculture. Recreational or Ceremonial fires are defined as fires for cooking of food, on other than commercial premises, and open fires for recreational, religious and or ceremonial purposes such as campfires or bonfires.

Slash burning is defined as the burning of debris from a "Logging" operation. Slash burning is limited to burning on forestlands for forest management, and is regulated under the Oregon Smoke Management Plan and the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF). It is not the clearing of forestland for any other purpose.

By order of the Fire Marshal, slash burning within the boundaries of the HFD is not allowed until Sweet Home office
of ODF has opened slash burning in their district.

If your burn site is within the boundaries of both the HFD and ODF Overlap area, you must obtain a written permit from the ODF Sweet Home office prior to the burning of any slash, year round.

If you live within the HFD but outside of the ODF Overlap area no permit is required, however, you may burn slash only during the period when slash burning is allowed by the ODF Sweet Home office.

Many times the Linn County Fire Defense Board will extend the burn ban and/or ODF will not allow any slash burning until well past the date when backyard and barrel burning have been okayed by the DEQ due to weather conditions.

Recreational or Ceremonial fires are defined as fires for cooking of food, on other than commercial premises, and open fires for recreational, religious and or ceremonial purposes such as campfires or bonfires.

Only dry, aged wood may be burned in a recreational or ceremonial fire. It is prohibited to burn ordinary household waste, construction debris, treated lumber, leaves, and materials which produce dense smoke when burned, including, but not limited to tires and roofing materials.

The following conditions must be met for recreational & ceremonial fires:

• The location for open burning shall not be less than 50 feet from any structure and provisions shall be made to prevent the fire from spreading to within 50 feet of a structure.
• The pile of material to be burned in a recreational fire must be no greater than 4 feet in diameter and 4 feet height.

• The ground around the material to be burned must be scraped to prevent fires from spreading. A 3 foot non combustible barrier is required.
• Fires should not be located near tall grass, or tree lines, or under a power line.
• Take due caution when burning on windy days and avoid burning if at all possible. Do not burn if there is an air pollution advisory.
• Fire extinguishing equipment should include sufficient water and a shovel, and must be readily available onsite.
• A fire supervisor, 18 years of age or older, must be within direct view of the fire at all times.