Whereas there is a large amount of smoke created during forest fuel reduction burns andor agricultural burns; And whereas there are minimal days that the venting index permits burning resulting in a large number of burns being undertaken during the permitted times, which results in a tremendous amount of smoke being produced, as all burning is taking place within a short period of time; And whereas forced air curtain burner or trench burner systems greatly reduce the smoke created during combustion by improving the efficiency of a fire resulting in clean burns with very little atmospheric particulate being produced: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM request the Province of British Columbia to allow burning outside of the venting days with the use of forced air systems, such as trench or curtain burners.
Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy The Open Burning Smoke Control Regulation OBSCR is designed to minimize the impact of smoke from open burning on human health and the environment. The regulation was updated in September 2019 and now includes specific requirements to facilitate and encourage use of the forced air burning systems known as air curtain incinerators. The regulation also recognizes that burning is the last resort for disposal of vegetative debris after other options, such as economically beneficial use of the fibre, have been investigated. The ventilation venting forecast is a key tool within the Open Burning Smoke Control Regulation to reduce the risk of smoke pollution. During good venting conditions, smoke from open burning generally disperses quickly and during poor venting conditions smoke is likely to be trapped near ground level. Poor venting during the winter months is common, especially in the BC Interior, and venting must be incorporated into the planning of open burning projects.Good or fair venting conditions are more common in the early fall, late winter, and early spring. While air curtain incinerators are still significant emitters of particulate matter, they do reduce emissions by approximately 90 relative to open burning in piles. The Open Burning Smoke Control Regulation recognizes and encourages this better burning technology by providing more permissive provisions for air curtain incinerators. Burning with an air curtain incinerator can be undertaken when venting is either rated good or fair which is typically the spring and fall burn seasons while pile burning requires a good venting rating. In addition, air curtain incinerators can use smaller setbacks from neighbours and longer burn periods. Since air curtain incinerators are still large emitters of particulate matter pollution, burning during poor ventilation conditions is not allowed. In summary the new Open Burning Smoke Control Regulation already enables the use of air curtain incinerators and supports open burning during fair or good conditions. Open burning during poor ventilation conditions would worsen air quality, especially in valley communities in Interior BC, and impact human health and the environment.