Due to increased wildfire risk, fire occurrences, and staffing shortages, the Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry’s Maine Forest Service is temporarily halting issuing online open burning permits required for the outdoor burning of brush and wood debris. These conditions will remain in effect until the state sees an adequate level of precipitation. Also, Director Patty Cormier is urging Maine’s fire chiefs and town forest fire wardens to use extreme caution or suspend the issuance of written open burning brush permits.
Campfire permits, required for some remote campsites in unorganized towns, remain available. The forest service reminds everyone to obtain landowner permission and seek campfire permits which are available from the forest service. Recreational campfires on one’s own property for cooking and warming, unless prohibited by local ordinance, do not require an open burning permit and are not subject to this suspension. The suspension of online permits for brush burning will continue until further notice.
“While we are temporarily suspending Maine’s online burning permit systems, we are also going to rely on the experience of our Forest Rangers and our dedicated partners in the municipal fire service to ensure that Maine is protected from this current wildfire threat,” said Cormier.
