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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Grass Burning Begins On Rathdrum Prairie

A handful of Rathdrum Prairie grass farmers lit their fields Wednesday for the first time this year.

About 400 acres of bluegrass land north of Hayden Avenue went up in smoke, starting a 45-day countdown during which farmers can torch their fields.

Over the next month and a half, farmers can burn on 14 days, provided wind conditions don’t push field smoke into neighboring communities.

Before Labor Day, burning is not allowed on weekends or Fridays. After the holiday, landowners can reignite some fields on Fridays.

Burning increases bluegrass production and rids the land of stubble that can carry pests and disease.

Eastern winds Wednesday prevented farmers on the prairie’s southern end from burning. Smoke from those fires would have carried into Hayden and Rathdrum.

As of 5 p.m., 20 people had called a field-burning hot line Wednesday to complain about the smoke. Seventeen people had called the hot line in the six days before prairie burning even started.

Phone workers have been instructed that “if people get nasty or use foul language, they’ll warn them and then hang up,” said Dan Redline, an air quality analyst with Idaho’s Division of Environmental Quality.

In recent years, the practice has prompted the state of Washington to mandate a phaseout of field burning. The practice in Spokane County was cut by a third last year and again this year.

Burning will be stopped altogether when a certified, economical and practical alternative is found.

A handful of Idaho farmers, meanwhile, announced earlier this month they planned to gradually stop burning over the next 10 years.

People wishing to lodge a complaint or a comment about burning may reach hot line workers at 208-765-7006 or by calling 1-800-421-8475.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color photo

MEMO: Cut in the Spokane edition.

Cut in the Spokane edition.