Field burning gets green light
EUGENE, Ore. -- Test fires were conducted in the Harrisburg and Brownsville fire districts Friday afternoon, clearing the way for the first day of full-scale open burning.
Test fires were also successful in Stayton, Sublimity and Silverton districts.
Total number of acres burned today will be announced later Friday.
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The flames help ensure the purity of the lawn seed they produce, rid their land of mice and dispose of tons of straw stubble. Winds tend to blow smoke particulate from any kind of fire in the Willamette Valley to populated areas like Eugene and Corvallis. Medical studies have linked particulate exposure to reduced lung function, heart attacks and in rare cases, death. The state Department of Environmental Quality is working on a bill that calls for annual reductions in field burning, and a near phase-out in 4 or 5 years. The Associated Press contributed to this report
Farmers, especially those in the Willamette Valley, ordinarily burn about 50,000 acres of seed fields after the harvest each year.
