Home Wood Heating Season
Daily Advisory
Smoke Opacity
Home Wood Heating
Residents of Lane County are allowed to operate home wood heating devices at any time during the year. Those who live within the city limits or urban growth boundary of Eugene, Springfield, or Oakridge, are subject to opacity limits for the smoke produced by these devices (see “Smoke Opacity” below for more information). LRAPA promotes efficient burning practices to help people emit less air pollution while using wood stoves and fireplaces. The following tips can help maximize efficient wood burning practices: check and follow the daily home wood heating advisory on this webpage, only burn seasoned wood, build small, hot fires, check dampers for sufficient airflow, and annually clean and maintain the chimney.
During periods of cold weather, fireplace and wood stove usage increases dramatically in Lane County. This increases the amount of wood smoke pollution, called particulate matter, emitted into our shared air. Within the city limits or urban growth boundary of Eugene, Springfield, and Oakridge, a daily home wood heating advisory is posted on LRAPA’s website from October 1 through May 31 (see “Daily Advisory” on this webpage). Those located in these areas should review the daily advisory and comply with the advisory requirements.
Home Wood Heating Advisory Line: (541) 746-4328
Home Wood Heating Advisory
The mandatory advisories for Home Wood Heating season are posted daily from October 1st until May 31st. The off season advisories are posted daily just as informational advisories.
The Home Wood Heating advisory is issued at 2:00 p.m., goes into effect at 4:00 p.m., and continues through 4:00 p.m. of the following day.
For the full Home Wood Heating Curtailment Program Enforcement Rules, see LRAPA Title 16 which also refers to specific local city ordinances and the state’s Heat Smart rules.
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Home Wood Heating Season
During periods of cold weather, fireplace and wood stove usage increases dramatically in Lane County. This increases the amount of wood smoke pollution — called Particulate Matter — into our shared air. Health studies have shown a significant association between exposure to Particulate Matter and health risks, including premature death. Short-term health effects may include cardiovascular effects such as cardiac arrhythmias and heart attacks, and respiratory effects such as asthma attacks and bronchitis. Long-term health effect may include lung cancer and other forms of heart and lung disease.
During home wood heating season, LRAPA issues a daily color coded home wood heating advisory at 2:00 p.m. which begins at 4:00 p.m. and lasts for 24 hours.
- Green advisories indicate air quality is clear enough to use a woodstove or fireplace. However, there is a limit to how much visible smoke can be produced. It is illegal for thick smoke to come from a chimney stack. Smoke should be barely visible and as light as possible. In the city of Eugene and Springfield, smoke cannot exceed 40% opacity. In the city of Oakridge, smoke cannot exceed 20% opacity. See opacity descriptions below.
- Yellow advisories are cautionary warnings about air quality. Issued during periods of air stagnation when smoke may not ventilate well. While it is legal to use your woodstove or fireplace, LRAPA strongly encourage people to use other forms of heat like electric, propane, or natural gas. 40% opacity limits still exits in Eugene and Springfield, and 20% opacity limits still exist in Oakridge.
- Red advisories prohibit visible emissions from wood stoves, pellet stoves, and fireplaces within the city limits of Eugene, Springfield and Oakridge. Only those with an approved economic exemption letter (from LRAPA within the city limits Eugene/Springfield, or from Oakridge within the city limits of Oakridge).
Opacity is defined as the percentage of the background that is obscured (i.e., blocked) by visible emissions, i.e., the plume’s ability to obscure the background. A higher opacity value in a visible emission observation means there is more particulate matter in the emission, and less of the background is seen.
Wood stove and chimney users must ensure the opacity levels of the smoke from their chimney or stack remain transparent and easy to see through. Using clean and dry wood to create a small and hot fire with open dampers should result in barely visible smoke at the outlet of a chimney or stack. Within the city limits and urban growth boundary of Eugene and Springfield, the opacity limit is 40%. Within the city limits and urban growth boundary of Oakridge, the opacity limit is 20%.
100% opacity means the smoke plume is a solid color, and one is unable to see through the plume. At 10% opacity, smoke emissions are barely detectable. At 20% opacity, a faint smoke plume is identifiable. At 40% opacity, a smoke plume is easily identifiable but transparent enough to see a contrasting background through the plume. Opacity levels below 20% generally indicate efficient combustion. At or above 20% opacity indicates inefficient combustion.
