Wildfire Safety and Preparedness

What To Know When Burning Brush In Your Backyard

How To Safely Burn Debris In Your Backyard

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Backyard debris burns are one of the most common ways wildfires start.

“When you are working up a burn pile, there's some things you want to think about. You want to have it in an area of noncombustible material. You don't want the fire you’re lighting to catch the wildfire,” Brook Smith, an area forester with the Tennessee Division of Forestry, told us in a recent interview.

We met at Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee with Smith and other experts to talk about ways you can help prevent wildfires, in honor of Smokey Bear’s 80th birthday.

Backyard Burning Basics

“Whenever you're placing your burn pile, you want to look up to see if you've got any power lines or you have any vegetation directly above,” Smith said.

It’s also really important to not burn trash or other debris.

“You want to burn native vegetation that’s been grown on the property,” Smith said. “You don't want anything that's been pressure treated or that has chemicals inside of it.”

The Most Important Things To Check Before Burning Yard Waste

Always check local rules to make sure there aren’t any burn bans in place and, most importantly, remember the weather.

“If conditions are going to be dry, if the winds are going to be high, maybe postpone your burn until weather conditions are a little bit better,” James Heaton, with the USDA Forest Service, said.

A red flag warning from The National Weather Service for your area means it’s not a good day to burn anything.

An insider tip from Smith and Heaton: Keep your debris pile dry, and then burn it on a day when the ground, vegetation and other fire fuels around you are wet.

“When conditions are right … you can ignite your fire and not worry about risking your community,” Smith said.

Visit smokeybear.com for more wildfire prevention tips.

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Weather.com reporter Jan Childs covers breaking news and features related to weather, space, climate change, the environment and everything in between.