Virginia Code 10.1-1150.4: Prescribed burn elements.
Prescribed burning shall be performed in the following manner:
Terms Used In Virginia Code 10.1-1150.4
- Certified prescribed burn manager: means any person who has successfully completed a certification process established by the State Forester under § Virginia Code 10.1-1150.1
- Prescribed burning: means the controlled application of fire or wildland fuels in either the natural or modified state, under specified environmental conditions, which allows a fire to be confined to a predetermined area and produces the fire behavior and fire characteristics necessary to attain planned fire treatment and ecological, silvicultural, and wildlife management objectives. See Virginia Code 10.1-1150.1
- Prescription: means a written statement defining the objectives to be attained by a prescribed burning and the conditions of temperature, humidity, wind direction and speed, fuel moisture, and soil moisture under which a fire will be allowed to burn. See Virginia Code 10.1-1150.1
1. A prescription for the prescribed burn shall be prepared by a certified prescribed burn manager prior to the burn. The prescription shall include: (i) the landowner’s name, address, and telephone number, and the telephone number of the certified prescribed burn manager who prepared the plan; (ii) a description of the area to be burned, a map of the area to be burned, the objectives of the prescribed burn, and the desired weather conditions or parameters; (iii) a summary of the methods to be used to start, control, and extinguish the prescribed burn; and (iv) a smoke management plan. The smoke management plan shall be based on guidelines presented in the Virginia Department of Forestry publication, “Voluntary Smoke Management Guidelines for Virginia,” and the U.S. Forest Service’s technical publication, “A Guide to Prescribed Fire in Southern Forests.” A copy of the prescription shall be retained at the site throughout the period of the burning;
2. Prescribed burning shall be conducted under the direct supervision of a certified prescribed burn manager, who shall ensure that the prescribed burning is in accordance with the prescription; and
3. The nearest regional office of the Virginia Department of Forestry shall be notified prior to the burn.
1998, c. 156.