Louisiana modifies burn ban: What to know
Louisiana has revised its month-long statewide burn ban, allowing agriculture burning immediately and allowing local parish officials to make individual burn ban decision beginning Friday.
The state has suffered its worst wildfire season in more than a century, with more than 30,000 forest acres destroyed.
A strict statewide burn ban has been in effect since Aug. 25, but all of the largest ongoing fires are under control, if not out.
Officials with the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry, Louisiana State Fire Marshal's Office, Governor's Office of Homeland Security and the National Weather Service made the decision to modify the ban.
The modified burn ban for farmers allows agricultural burning, including but not limited to prescribed burning, to resume except for standing sugarcane. The burning of sugarcane fields is allowed only after harvest. Standing sugarcane burning will resume once conditions improve, Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain said.
The fire marshal is modifying its ban in the following ways: provides for individual parishes to opt out of the statewide burn ban; provides for fire chiefs to resume granting burn permissions; and provides for certain live fire training to resume with written permission from the fire marshal.
More: Louisiana extends burn ban as wildfires blaze on and state remains 'ready to ignite'
Greg Hilburn covers state politics for the USA TODAY Network of Louisiana. Follow him on Twitter @GregHilburn1.
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This article originally appeared on Monroe News-Star: Here's what to know about Louisiana's modified burn ban
