Citizens who call the Forestry Commission to make notification of their planned prescribed burns – remember, it’s state law! – will notice a few minor changes in the process beginning Oct. 1.

SCFC’s dispatch centers are switching to a new computer system that will greatly improve the agency’s recordkeeping and back-end operations for prescribed burn notifications. While this is a big change for us, longtime prescribed burners will only see two slight differences:

• Callers will now be asked for their burn plan information in a slightly different order than it was requested before; and
• Assigned burn notification numbers will be provided in a different format.

This unique number for each burn will begin with the last two numbers of the current calendar year, followed by “BN,” followed by five numbers that correspond to the order in which a burn notification is approved. For example, the first prescribed burn notification taken Oct. 1 will be assigned the number 26BN00001.

As a reminder, state law requires citizens who conduct wildlife, forestry and agricultural burns, also known as prescribed burns, to notify the Forestry Commission beforehand by calling (800) 777-3473.

Dispatchers take notifications for prescribed burns via phone to assess appropriate weather conditions, fuel loads, smoke-sensitive areas and issue authorization numbers for burns that comply with South Carolina’s Smoke Management Guidelines.