Berks County remains under a burn ban until the middle of next month, but Thursday, county commissioners voted to make farmers the exception to the rule.
Conditions have been extremely dry, and the rain the area has seen and will soon get is not enough to make conditions safe for open burns.
Because of that, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, or DCNR, and 19 fire chiefs and wardens recommended a ban.
That 30-day ban began last Sunday, but soon, people in agriculture will be the exception to the rule.
Commissioner Chair Christian Leinbach says he's heard from farmers directly.
"This is creating a problem, and I am acknowledging that problem for the farm community," Leinbach said during Thursday's meeting.
The dry conditions have also created a problem for first responders. Several brush and wildfires have already affected the county.
"Farmers are some of the best stewards of the environment, so they're very cautious," said Lily Guthrie, state and local affairs specialist for the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau. "They're very careful when it comes to burning."
Guthrie says farmers need an exception to the rule.
"I think a lot of people might just think like, 'Oh, these are farmers, burning trash,' and there is a time and a place for certain things like that," she said.
She says in some cases it's about protecting farmers' livelihood.
"Burns can be used for habitat improvement, to control pests," explained Guthrie.
Namely, those pests may be invasive species of plants and tick populations that can threaten livestock and farmers themselves.
It's a balancing act for the commissioners who say they take the fire officials' recommendation seriously.
Source: wfmz.com
Photo Credit: gettyimages-isidhe
Categories: Pennsylvania, Crops