Burn Ban Upsets Farmers

WAITSBURG - An un- usual governor-mandated burn ban in all counties followed by a spurt of wet, windy weather has frustrated local farmers who are afraid they won't get their seed in the ground before the cold weather sets in.

Both Walla Walla and Columbia counties had been under a local burn ban since early July. These local burn bans are annual bans set by the area fire districts, and farmers must wait every year until these bans are lifted to do any agricultural burning.

And at the end of September, when the local fire districts lifted their typical burn bans, wildfires had spread in the central part of the state.

Gov. Chris Gregoire de- clared a state of emergency because of the wildfires, and banned all outdoor burning in all counties, extending an already long burn ban for farmers on the east side of the state.

The governor's ban was most recently extended on Oct. 7 and ran through midnight last Sunday east of the Cascades. Because of rain on Friday, Oct. 12, on the west side of the state, the governor's ban was lifted at 8 a.m. that Saturday for the west.

"(The farmers) are get- ting pretty anxious," said Tim Mayberry, the Walla Walla County Fire District 7 chief.

The governor-mandated burn bans included a clause saying local fire authorities could authorize bans if they chose to do so. But not one of the local districts, Columbia County Fire District 3, Walla Walla County Fire District 2 or District 7, lifted the ban for the farmers to burn their fields despite the clause.

Val Turner, the burn co- ordinator for the Columbia County Conservation Dis- trict, said without burning the fields, the farmers are unable to seed the ground for the next crop. Right now, she said local farmers are seeding what they can and waiting on agricultural burning to start so they can seed the fields with "high residue." Some of the fields absolutely must be burned because the land is too steep for baling tractors.

"They're worried they're going to run out of time," Turner said. "They're just wanting to get their seed in the ground."

If the rains come, the straw gets too wet to burn and the farmers can't get their tractors through the mud to get the job done, she added.

Typically, mid- to late October would be the end of the burning season for local farmers, Turner said. Burn- ing usually starts in September when local districts lift their annual burn bans. And not one of the local farmers in the Touchet Valley had even begun burning before the most recent governor- mandated burn ban had expired, local chiefs con- firmed.

This is the first time in Columbia County Fire District 3 Chief Rick Turner's memory that the governor has ever banned burning in all counties in the state because of wildfires. It is unusual this late in the fire season to still have wildfires and smoke, he said, and he was approached by some farmers who had asked him to use his authority in the clause and lift the gover- nor's burn ban locally for agricultural burning.

Rick Turner said he would not lift the burn ban because of what could hap- pen. If a planned wheat fire had accidentally gotten out of control and crossed containment lines there would be little to no firefighting backup because all of the extra help is fighting the wildfires in Central Wash- ington, he said. He said he didn't feel good about allowing burning when all extra firefighting resources were committed elsewhere.

"It's a big decision," he said. "We can be vigilant, but we can't control every- thing."

Last Monday, even after the governor's burn ban had expired, Turner said there was still no local burning because weather conditions were too wet and windy, creating even more of a de- lay for farmers.

Larry Hooker, the agri- culture projects manager for the Walla Walla Conserva- tion District, said this year because of the burn ban most farmers have "dusted" their crops, meaning that the seed was planted in the dry earth. He expects about 75 percent of local farmers have seed in the ground at this time. Farmers today also have more tools and technology than even 25 years ago, Hooker said, and selective herbicides will help keep crops healthy.

A big concern now for farmers will be the possibil- ity of crusting, which could make the farmers re-plant crops, Hooker said. Crust- ing occurs when the soil gets wet, and then when the water recedes a hard crust can be formed.

The area received some rain since last weekend and Hooker said he was sure the farmers would be happy to see some rain finally, but not being able to burn fields "is going to have an impact."

And when it does dry out enough for agriculture burning, the process to burn fields is quite rigorous, Rick Turner said. The permitting process is organized and executed by Val Turner's of- fice, which works with the Department of Ecology.

Rick Turner said first, the farmers must have their fields inspected to make sure the land meets the criteria for burning. The Department of Ecology determines when the weather conditions make for good smoke dispersion. The de- partment lets Val Turner know how many acres can be burned that day and she chooses who can burn how much based on the applications she has received.

With the ban lifted, Rick Turner said he is hoping for a safe burning season. He said the ideal conditions are when it is dry enough to burn, but with enough mois- ture around the fields so the fires don't spread.