It’s another indication that we’re getting closer to wildfire season. Starting April 18th, Cal Fire’s Nevada-Yuba-Placer Unit is now requiring permits for residential burning. That’s 12 days earlier than a year ago and despite a much wetter April. And that also means more restrictions. Public Information Officer Mary Eldridge says you must also continue to verify that it’s a permissive burn day, by calling your local air quality management district…

click to listen to Mary Eldridge

Eldridge says burn piles must also be smaller, or no larger than four feet in diameter and in height. But you can add to the pile, as it burns down. Eldridge says up until recently, the dryness of the vegetation was something you normally wouldn’t see for another four to six weeks. And while the rain will slow down the severity of the season for a while longer, she says that won’t really reduce the danger…

click to listen to Mary Eldridge

Permits are issued annually and may be obtained on line or from your local Cal Fire station. And a reminder that a year ago, burning was suspended completely, just a few weeks after we were in the permit phase.