Burning ban lifted for Piedmont, including York, Chester counties

State Forester Gene Kodama has announced he is lifting the burning ban for all Piedmont counties, including York and Chester counties, effective at 6 p.m. Tuesday.

The revoking of the ban will again allow legally permitted burning statewide, though state Forestry Commission officials still urge vigilance when burning outdoors.

A burning ban for the 19 counties in the Forestry Commission’s Piedmont administrative region has been in effect since Nov. 10.

It was issued initially because of weather conditions in the Piedmont region that presented an elevated risk of wildfire. The ban was kept in place because of the limited availability of statewide firefighting resources and personnel, many of whom have been diverted to the Pinnacle Mountain fire in Pickens County.

Kodama said the ban is being lifted because of the recent rain, combined with expected increases in the region’s precipitation and humidity over the next week.

Two types of public outdoor burning are permitted in South Carolina:

▪  Residential yard debris burning: State law requires citizens 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. The notification law does not apply within town or city limits. Find every county’s toll-free notification number on the SCFC home page or at https://www.state.sc.us/forest/fyard.htm.

▪  Forestry, wildlife and agricultural 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 notification, regardless of county, please call (800) 777-3473.

This story was originally published November 29, 2016 at 6:29 PM with the headline "Burning ban lifted for Piedmont, including York, Chester counties."