The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) issued a burn ban last week that will run from March 16 – May 15, 2022.
Forest rangers, DEC officers, and local authorities will enforce the ban. Violators could face potential criminal and civil enforcement, with a minimum $500 fine for the first infraction, according to Daily Messenger.
Fires less than three feet tall and four feet in length, width, or diameter are allowed, including back yard fire pits, small cooking fires, and small campfires.
The DEC stated that early spring is typically peak wildfire season. New York’s burn ban was first put into effect in 2009 in order to limit future wildfires. There were 150 wildfires reported in the state that year.
Read the DEC’s full burn ban policy here.
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