Hazy: Controlled Burns Fill Sky With Smoke

Thick smoke can be seen billowing from a controlled burn Tuesday on the Walthour-Moss Foundation in the Skyline area.

As of Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Ideal burn conditions this week may leave many in Moore County feeling a bit hazy.

Smoke from at least two controlled burns filled the air much of the day Tuesday. Conditions were particularly hazy in Pinehurst, where fire officials said they received numerous calls from concerned residents.

Officials with the Walthour-Moss Foundation said that a controlled burn of 150 acres was conducted on their property Tuesday.

The other controlled burn was on a 50-acre site off Derby Road, said Billy Lewis, a county ranger with the state Forest Service.

Lewis said conditions on Tuesday were good for burning because the area had recently received a lot of rain, and winds were calm.

“But people need to use caution,” he said. “Conditions can change from good to bad overnight.”

Landon Russell, executive director of the Walthour-Moss Foundation, said they burn about 1,000 acres a year.

Because burning can cause or aggravate serious health conditions and pollute the air, the state regulates burning. Only leaves, branches or other plant growth can be burned.

For more information about controlled burns, visit the state Forest Service website, at ncforestservice.gov.

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Arestorer 1 year, 2 months ago

Where is Moonchild, anyway ???? Off burning them Purple Flowers ???

Zippy 1 year, 2 months ago

Really? We're supposed to expose people to serious health risks through air pollution because? We want to avoid forest fires, granted, that's a good idea but can we plow deeper or wider fire trails in the equestrian enclave or burn smaller portions at a time? That preserve is within the borders of some local towns, isn't that too close for comfort, and too close for healthy burns, hmm, maybe that includes Weymouth Woods, preserved and earmarked as a public preserve before the town encroached on its boundaries. The point is how do you accept something that's a significant danger to the health of others, just tell them to stay inside. I think not. Some other measures have to be taken to mollify the health dangers of this practice.

inthepines 1 year, 2 months ago

Really? I would have never expected someone to post something negative. Go back to where you came from!

DoubleHeroides 1 year, 2 months ago

@ Zippy, This is probably the third article in two days on the subject of the burnings and so far all I’ve seen is one (1) commenter on another article complain that her two children are asthmatic. There have been controlled burns of pine forests for decades. I’ve seen the flames licking the chain link fence in my backyard but at the end of the day I know that if it doesn’t happen the forest suffers the worse for it. It is the human re-creation of a natural event. These forests naturally develop and then lightening strikes (or some other Act of God) that burns it down so it can grow back again. But instead we do the burning more regularly than nature which helps it even more. That is basic forest management. Other than asthmatics what other serious health risks does this pose and while you are addressing that, what form of pollution does this create that is so harmful?

Arestorer 1 year, 2 months ago

Zippy, If you were from a rural area, you would know this is Forest managment...You know the trees that give us clean air....The alternative to controlled burns is forest fires and burned down homes..Would you rather a few people be discomforted, or their homes to burn...

AFCHIEF 1 year, 2 months ago

ZIPPY, go to California where they don't practice controlled burnings, and then when your house burns up in a forest fire you can complain about that too