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Wood-smoke report will have residents burning up hotline By Paul Fattig of the Mail Tribune Before you fire up the wood stove Monday morning, call 776-9000. That's the number for Jackson County's air-quality hotline for wood-burning regulations, which go into effect Nov. 1 and continue through Feb. 29. A daily recording will tell you whether it's a red, yellow or green day for lighting a fire in the wood stove. The goal of the program, which began a decade ago for Jackson County, is to reduce air pollution during stagnant winter days in the Wood Burning Curtailment Area (WBCA). "The only difference we have this year is that most of the cities in the county are now on board with a unified wood smoke ordinance," said Gary Stevens, manager of the county's environmental health services. In addition to Medford, Ashland and Central Point, which already had programs in place, cities joining the county's smoke pollution reduction program for the WBCA include Jacksonville, Phoenix and Talent. When the restrictions take effect, residents within the air quality maintenance area can burn wood only in state and federally certified wood stoves. Wood stoves are certified by the state Department of Environmental Quality or the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Open burning is also banned in the Air Quality Maintenance Area (AQMA), which expands beyond the WBCA and includes most of the county and the city of Eagle Point, between Nov. 1 and the end of February. If you do not know whether you live within the AQMA, call Jackson County Air Quality at 774-8207. Under the program, violators can be fined up to $500 after their first warning citation. In addition to the wood-burning regulations, the annual oxy-gas program begins Monday. In that program, all gas sold in Jackson County and Grants Pass is spiked with oxygen to reduce carbon monoxide pollution. The Rogue Valley once had wood smoke and carbon monoxide levels that regularly violated federal standards. Wood smoke ordinances adopted first by the county in 1989 and then by its three largest cities cleared the air. The last "red" day for wood stoves was recorded in 1991. The wood stove program allows wood burning for heat based on the level of tiny smoke particles in the air. Smoke particles impair visibility and aggravate breathing problems in sensitive people. During stagnant winter days, temperature inversions can trap the air and build up pollutants. Pollution levels violate the federal Clean Air Act when particulate levels exceed 150 micrograms per cubic meter during a 24-hour period. "We haven't had a violation of clean air standards for many years," Stevens said, noting that public cooperation through pollution-cutting programs has been a key factor in reducing pollution. Burning is allowed daily under a color-coded system that rates air quality in terms of green, yellow and red days. Red and yellow days: Burning is allowed in certified stoves if no visible emissions are produced. Green days: Burning is permitted in all stoves, with an opacity limit of 50 percent. Such a smoke plume obscures 50 percent of objects viewed through it. Green indicates that smoke levels are low and good air circulation is predicted. A yellow day means smoke levels are rising during a time of predicted poor air circulation. And a red day indicates that smoke levels are approaching unhealthy levels during a time of stagnant air conditions. "If you don't have a certified stove, you really shouldn't be burning at all," Stevens said. "The idea is to promote clean burning and clean air." For additional information about the regulations, call the Jackson County Air Quality at 774-8207 between 8 a.m. until noon and from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA