Air District Board adopts wood burning and prescribed burning amendments to protect public health and reduce wildfire risk

Under the updated Wood-Burning Devices Rule, the Air District will lower the threshold for issuing Spare the Air Alerts for fine particulate matter from a daily forecast value of 35 to 25 micrograms per cubic meter. A more stringent, health-protective standard means alerts will be called more frequently, an estimated 19 to 41 alerts per year, compared to the historic average of 15 to protect Bay Area residents from harmful wood smoke at even lower concentrations.

The Open Burning Rule was also amended to waive prescribed burn fees for all land managers, including nonprofits and private landowners. This expands the current exemption that only applies to public agencies, removing a financial barrier to using prescribed fire as a safe and effective tool for reducing wildfire fuels.

Together, these amendments are set to take effect immediately and will:

• Reduce harmful wood smoke exposure and buildup through more health-protective standards.
• Support the improved use of prescribed burning to cut wildfire fuel loads and lower the risk of severe fires.
• Advance state and regional goals for clean air and climate resilience.

It is illegal for Bay Area residents and businesses to use their fireplaces, wood stoves, pellet stoves, outdoor fire pits, or any other wood-burning devices during a Spare the Air Alert for fine particle pollution. Exemptions are available for homes without permanently installed heating, where wood stoves or fireplaces are the only source of heat. Anyone whose sole source of heat is a wood-burning device must use an EPA-certified or pellet-fueled device that is registered with the Air District to qualify for an exemption. An open-hearth fireplace does not qualify for an exemption.

Like cigarette smoke, wood smoke contains carcinogenic substances such as benzene and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. It also contains high levels of extremely harmful fine particulate matter. Exposure to wood smoke has been linked to serious respiratory illnesses and increased risk of heart attacks. The fine particulate pollution in wood smoke is especially harmful for children, the elderly and those with respiratory conditions. Air District modeling indicates that 94 to 210 premature deaths per year are attributable to fine particulate matter pollution from residential wood burning in the Bay Area.

Bay Area residents can find out if a Spare the Air Alert is in effect by:

• Signing up for text alerts. To sign up, text the word “START” to the number 817-57
• Calling 1-877-4NO-BURN
• Visiting www.sparetheair.org or www.baaqmd.gov
• Signing up for automatic e-mail AirAlerts at www.sparetheair.org/alerts
• Signing up for automatic phone alerts at www.sparetheair.org/alerts
• Downloading the Spare the Air iPhone or Android app

View press release(208 Kb PDF, 2 pgs, posted 01/10/2025).