2001 Field Burning - a last look

On February 15th I received the Oregon Department of Agriculture's "Summary of the 2001 Field Burning Season," which is the annual report prepared by the Natural Resource Division's Smoke Management program. (Copies can be requested from Patti Gentiluomo (Program Coordinator) at 503-986-4793 or pgentilu@oda.state.or.us. This report gives the final tally on open field burning and propane flaming during 2001.

Using the data in the ODA report, and the 2001 Extension crop acreage estimates (reported in last month's newsletter), I have prepared the table below. Most significant is that only 11 percent of the Willamette Valley's grass seed crop acreage is now managed by open field burning, and less than one percent is propane flamed. Annual ryegrass is still the largest crop acreage continuing to be burned. Twenty-one percent of the total acres of annual ryegrass were open field burned in 2001, which accounted for 48 percent of the total number of acres burned last year.

The table below also notes that virtually all of the fine fescue continues to be open burned. (NOTE: the computation showing "105%" as burned result from ODA's collecting field burning fees on more acres than our Extension crop estimates suggest were grown.) The 17,254 acres of fine fescue crops open burned last year account for 33 percent of the total acres burned. Thus, two species (annual ryegrass and fine fescue) currently account for over 80 percent of the open field burning.

Note also that only 3 percent of perennial ryegrass acres, and only 1 percent of tall fescue acres were burned in 2001. These two species (our largest acreage grass seed crops) account for 66 percent of the total seed acreage in the Willamette Valley, yet only received 15 percent of the total number of acres burned. As mentioned, very little acreage continues to be propane flamed, but 59 percent of the total acres flamed were perennial ryegrass.

Thermal (open field burn or propane flaming) post-harvest
residue management used by Willamette Valley grass seed
growers as a percent of total acres in 2001.


Species	Acres grown	Open burn¹		Propane burn¹
Species	Acres grown	Acres	Percent	Acres	Percent

Bluegrass	170	10	6	79	46
Bentgrass	9,530	1,659	17	67	<1
Fine fescue	16,420	17,254	105	212	1
Orchardgrass	17,900	196	1	0	0
Per. ryegrass	166,200	5,501	3	816	<1
Tall fescue	151,400	2,227	1	302	<1
Ann. ryegrass	122,950	25,252	21	151	<1
Total	484,570	52,099	11	1,627	<1
¹2001 final data reported as of February 15, 2002

The ODA report also makes an estimate of acres that were "Stack burned," i.e., fields that were baled and straw stacks later burned. Their estimate is that through October 27, 2001 straw from only 691 acres had been disposed of in this way.

Data are also reported on the number of hours that significant smoke impact occurred. "Significant" smoke intrusion occurred on 21 days in 2001 compared to eight days in 2000, six days in 1999, six days in 1998, and two days in 1997. Interestingly, there were only 18 days in the 2001 burning season when more than 300 acres per day were burned, and 9 days accounted for 75 percent of the total acres burned. Unfortunately, there were smoke impacts recorded on four days when less than 300 acres were burned.

Open field burning complaints received from Willamette Valley residents by the Smoke Management Program totaled 608 for the 2001 season. This compares to 477 complaints in 2000, 249 in 1999, 282 in 1998, and 373 in 1997. The high number of complaints last summer was attributed to abrupt weather changes during the later half of August.

Finally, I've prepared two tables to show a complete 10-year history of the acres open field burned and propane flamed. This record begins with the onset of the phase-down period passed by the Oregon Legislature in August 1991. The goal of reducing open field burning to a limit of 65,000 acres (40,000 regular acres + 25,000 of identified species and steep terrain) by 1998 was actually met two years ahead of schedule. The amount of open field burning over the last five years has averaged just over 50,000 acres. Propane flaming, although allowed on 75,000 acres per year, hasn't been cost effective and has been used on only a very few acres in the last seven years.

Acres of open field burn post-harvest residue management used by Willamette Valley
grass seed growers for each species in 1992-2001.

Acres of propane burn post-harvest residue management used by Willamette Valley
grass seed growers for each species in 1992-2001.

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