Open Field Burning in Lane County
Field burning in Oregon is regulated by the Oregon Department of Agriculture's (ODA) Smoke Management Program. Up to 65,000 acres of annual and perennial grass seed crop residue and cereal grain residue within the Willamette Valley are burned each summer. Field burning typically starts mid-July and ends mid-October.
The Oregon legislature passed a bill in June 2009 to begin a phase-out of field burning in most of the Willamette Valley. Burning will be allowed on a reduced amount of acreage this year. With the exception of a few small areas in the central Willamette Valley, burning will not be allowed starting in 2010. For more specific information about field burning, visit ODA Smoke Management Program.
Complaints about field burning
Complaints about field burning are logged, compiled weekly and reported to the Governor's Office. You may call the Oregon Department of Agriculture to log a complaint directly, or call LRAPA and have your complaint forwarded to the ODA.
LRAPA recommends making complaints directly to the ODA to ensure all complaints are reported to the Governor's Office. We recommend you include your name and contact information when leaving your complaint with the ODA. Anonymous complaints may not be reported to the Governor's Office.
Your comments and complaints provide supplemental information on the extent and location of smoke problems. You may receive a tape-recorded message asking you to leave a message describing the problem. Remember to leave your name and contact information as well.
To log a complaint, call:
- ODA Eugene complaint line: 541 686-7600
- ODA Salem complaint line: 503 986-4709
- ODA Smoke Management Program line: 503 985-4701
- LRAPA complaint line: 541 726-1930
Other contacts:
- Governor's Citizen Call Line: 503 378-4582
- Environmental Quality Commission: 1-800-844-8467
- Oregon State Legislature citizen comment Web site