Brush piles and windrows are commonly used to burn woody debris from land cleared for agricultural and development purposes.

Preparing the site

• Brush piles and windrows must be at least 25 metres from trees and bushes.
• A fireguard 15 metres wide and cleared down to the mineral soil must completely surround the area.
• Windrows cannot be more than 60 metres in length with a minimum eight metre break between each window.
• Windrows and brush piles cannot be more than 6 metres wide.
• Parallel windrows must be separated by at least 15 metres.
• To allow for a cleaner burn, ensure that you reduce the amount of soil and dirt in your windrows or brush piles. clean burning reduces the likelihood of smoke issues and smouldering fires. A smouldering fire can last for months and emerge as a wildfire in warm, dry weather.

Safe burning practices

• Never leave your fire unattended
• Only burn what you can control and follow the conditions of your permit.
• Have your fire permit ready to present if requested.
• When burning in windy conditions, watch for sparks and burning material that may result in smaller fires. Larger fires can send these sparks over several kilometres, especially when burning in the wind. 
• If the wind is gusting over 15 km/h or increases beyond the limit on your permit, immediately extinguish your fire.
• Have the tools and equipment listed in your permit available to put out any spot fires that may occur. 

After you burn

• Spread or stir the debris to extinguish the fire faster.
• Re-pile unburnt debris to ensure it burns as needed.
• Walk through the area and check for heat. Fire can smoulder underground only to reappear under drier conditions as a wildfire. 
• Insert a metal probe into the burned area and then feel it for heat to ensure nothing is burning in the ground.
• Water down and extinguish hot spots.
• Carefully inspect the area in the days and weeks after your burn is complete.
• Extinguish any areas still burning and ensure that they are cool to the touch.

Burn barrels may be the simplest way to get rid of debris. However, they can release pollutants, create unpleasant odours and cause contamination. Using your burn barrel responsibly can help prevent wildfires and reduce the impact on the environment.

If you must use a burn barrel, burning in the late evening is safer. The cooler temperatures and calmer wind will help you maintain control of the burn. Never leave your fire unattended. 

The following are permitted in burn barrels:

• brush and fallen trees
• straw, stubble, grass, weeds, leaves and tree prunings
• used power and telephone poles that do not contain preservatives
• wood or wood products not containing preservatives
• solid wood waste from tree harvesting
• solid wood waste from post and pole operations not containing wood preservatives
• cardboard and paper products

 *Burn barrels do not require a fire permit. However, residents are fully responsible for ensuring that all proper safety precautions are strictly followed at all times. This includes using the burn barrel in a safe location, monitoring the fire continuously, keeping adequate suppression tools nearby, and complying with any local burn bans or regulations in effect.*

A list of burning guidelines will be noted on the fire permit issued. These guidelines will ask that you burn safely during calm weather only. The fire permit holder must ensure the fire is attended and supervised at all times until completely extinguished. Proper fire guards (black soil) should be made around the burn site using a heavy disc or other suitable farm equipment before the burn is completed. The fire guards should be a width of at least 15 meters.

Where the debris is a result of land clearing operations, the resulting debris should be windrowed in not more than 60 m lengths with an 8 m break between each 60 meter length. Windrows should be separated from other parallel windrows by not less than 15 meters. No windrow should be closer than 25 m to uncleared land or standing hazardous fuels. No person shall set more fires at one time than can be controlled by the people and equipment immediately available.

County residents are not allowed to burn the following items at any time:

• Animal manure
• pathological waste
• non-wooden material
• waste material from building or construction sites excluding wooden material not preserved
• combustible materials in automobile bodies
• tires
• rubber or plastic or anything containing or coated with rubber or plastic or similar substances
• used oil and preserved wood or wood products

1.  The permittee is totally responsible for the safe control of the burning herein authorized.

2.  A minimum 50 foot cultivated fire guard is to be prepared (fire guard means an area around the proposed burn area where appropriate action has been taken to stop the spread of the fire to areas not meant to be burned.

3.  A minimum of two adults must be in attendance at all times during the burn period.

4.  A maximum of 40 acres is allowed to be burned in any one occurrence.

5.  Burning cannot occur unless winds are under 12 km/hr in order not to endanger any adjacent property, and wind conditions must be such that any smoke emanating from the burn will not create a road or public hazard.

6.  Tractors and field implements capable of guarding the fire are to be in place at all times during the burn.

7.  If burning is authorized within a ½ mile of a provincial highway, the permittee must post smoke hazard signs available from Alberta Transportation.

8.  Burning permits should not be issued in the fall if it would leave the soil vulnerable to erosion.

9.  The permittee must abide by any regulations or conditions for stubble burning stated on the fire issued by the County of Minburn.

NOTE:  "Stubble" means any harvested or unharvested herbaceous plants or plant parts, standing, spread or in swathed windrows grown on land.

A surprising number of wildfires start in the winter. A lack of snow cover can leave brown, dry grass exposed and ready to ignite. Sparks from controlled fires like campfires, burn barrels or agricultural burning can inadvertently cause winter wildfires.

Winter burning can also cause dangerous driving conditions when smoke lingers in the air, since smoke can stay close to the ground and travel great distances on cold days. The ideal conditions for burning are typically days with average temperatures and minimal wind.

When burning during winter:

• listen to the weather forecast for snow conditions and wind predictions before you set your fire
• refrain from burning when an inversion is in place or is forecasted
• consult local municipalities and authorities on how to mitigate impacts when undertaking larger winter burning projects near communities or roads
• actively manage burn projects to reduce total burning time and smoke impacts
• burn debris in stages so that you can adapt to changing weather conditions and reduce smoke
• ensure good snow cover in the burn area (more than 15 cm)