Burning in San Diego County

While burning is used in many settings, from recreation to agricultural management and even wildfire prevention, it’s important to recognize that it carries significant risks. Beyond its environmental impacts, burning can introduce harmful pollutants into the air, contributing to poor air quality and posing serious health concerns. Understanding these risks is essential to protecting both the environment and public health.

Wood smoke is made up of tiny particles and gases that can harm both air quality and your health. When wood burns, it releases particulate matter, microscopic pollutants that can get into your eyes and respiratory system, causing symptoms like burning eyes, a runny nose, and bronchitis. These fine particles can also trigger asthma attacks, heart attacks, strokes, and other cardiovascular issues.

Children, older adults, and people with lung or heart conditions are especially sensitive to wood smoke's effects.

Smoke doesn't stay contained to one household, either. It can drift into neighboring yards and enter nearby homes through windows, doors, or ventilation systems, meaning even a small amount of smoke can worsen air quality for you and everyone around you.

Wood smoke also releases toxic carcinogens and gas pollutants that affect the environment by worsening air pollution. Some of the pollutants include nitrous oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), both contribute to damaging the ozone layer. In addition, pests and pathogens that harm our environment can be spread with firewood. Buying and burning firewood local to your campsite, or within the same county as where you are located, can help reduce this.

• Use the green waste bin to dispose of excess wood, rather than burning
• Using seasoned, dry wood or wood pellets that burn more cleanly
• Use electric or natural gas heating sources for your home
• Upgrade to a cleaner burning EPA certified wood stove or pellet stove
• Install a natural gas or certified wood burning/wood pellet fireplace insert
• Reduce or stop burning wood recreationally

Do not burn items like garbage, plastics, painted or treated wood, pallets, rubber, paper, liquid fuels, or other organic materials. These materials create additional toxic smoke that harms health and damages equipment.

Burning these types of materials is also prohibited by District Rule 101 and can result in enforcement action. (examples from the rule: hospital waste, tires, tarpaper, paint cans, plastics, pallets, construction or demolition debris, paper, oily waste materials, flammable solid or liquid waste, feathers, animal fur, diseased or dead animals, organic fertilizer, and non-combustible containers.)

Residential Wood Burning

Burn Permits

Wood Burning Handbook (California Air Resources Board)