Why Do I Smell Smoke?

Fires have been part of the Southern landscape for millennia. These days, landowners use fire for many things, from clearing dense brush that is fuel for wildfires, to creating wildlife habitat. Spring is usually the best time to use this valuable tool, but there are many restrictions.

North Carolina's Open Burning Rule is one of NC's oldest air quality regulations. It is ALWAYS illegal to burn trash. The rule prohibits outdoor burning and sets conditions for allowable fires. Mecklenburg County's Open Burning Rule is more stringent than the State's and can be found  here .

Sometimes, a short, planned period of smoke under ideal weather conditions is worth it to reduce the risk of property damage from a wildfire, or to improve the health and function of our forests. This map of Mecklenburg County Nature Preserves displays where burn units exist, and where a controlled burn may be taking place. Scroll around the map to see what has burned in the past and what areas may soon be seeing fire. If you have a chance to visit a preserve that's recently seen fire, you should see a noticeable improvement in the vegetation.

Prescribed burns on nature preserves are usually conducted with a southwest wind. Since most burn units are in the Mountain Island Lake area, a southwest wind blows smoke from Huntersville toward the northeast side of Mecklenburg County. Mecklenburg County controlled burns are also small compared to those in surrounding areas, and noticeable smoke may be coming from outside the County, most often South Carolina. If weather is good for a controlled burn in Mecklenburg, our regional neighbors are probably burning too! Smoke can travel long distances, and may be coming from a larger burn on a national or state forest, or even nearby private land.  Here is a map that’s shows where a special fire weather forecast has recently been requested, a good indication that controlled burns are happening nearby.

Air quality knows no boundaries, so agencies who conduct controlled burns coordinate with each other to ensure healthy air quality standards are met. Sometimes unforeseen incidents affect air quality, like a wildfire or volcano eruption from another country. You view large smoke-producing incidents and air quality monitors in the Fire and Smoke Map below.

Because of air quality concerns, Mecklenburg County has more stringent rules than most of the state, and permits are limited for private landowners. Elsewhere in the state, if a NC landowner complies with the open burning regulations for their area, they can request a  permit from the NC Forest Service  or other permitting agency. Being a NC Certified Burner gives a landowner additional training and liability protection.

Even though controlled burns in Mecklenburg County Nature Preserves are small compared to other burn units in the southeast region, it may helpful to know when a burn is happening on your favorite preserve. Get notifications the morning of a planned burn by signing up for  CharMeck Alerts . Choose “Important Community Alerts/Prescribed Fire Notices”. Avoid areas and/or keep windows and doors closed if you are in the wind direction of the smoke.

Want to know more about why controlled burns are necessary in the southeast and Mecklenburg County? Check out  Using Prescribed Fire .