The Winter Spare the Air program notifies Bay Area residents when particulate levels are anticipated to be unhealthy.
In the wintertime, particulate matter — especially particulate matter 2.5 microns or smaller in size (PM2.5) — can become a serious problem in the region. To protect public health, the Air District will issue a Winter Spare the Air Alert when PM2.5 concentrations are expected to be unhealthy.
From November 1, 2009, through February 28, 2010, under the Air District's wood-burning regulation, when a Winter Spare the Air Alert is in effect, burning wood, firelogs, pellets, or any other solid fuels in your fireplace, woodstove, or other wood-burning device is illegal.
When wood burning is allowed, residents who do burn in a fireplace or outdoor fire pit must still burn cleanly using dry, seasoned firewood, and not burn garbage, leaves or other material that would cause excessive smoke. Residents who exceed the excess visible smoke provision in the wood-burning rule could still be subject to an Air District citation or penalty.
Follow these links for more information on the Air District's wood-burning regulation, and instructions on how to comply.
Winter Spare the Air Alert Notifications
Residents and businesses can call 1-877-4NO-BURN (1-877-466-2876) to check the Winter Spare the Air Alert status and to report wood smoke concerns in their area.
Residents can sign up to receive automatic Phone Alerts by calling 1-800-430-1515. If you signed up last year, you will remain on the roster to receive calls when this year's Winter Spare the Air season starts up again in November 2009
Residents can also sign up for EnviroFlash AirAlerts to receive e-mail notification when Winter Spare the Air Alerts are issued. If you signed up last year, you should remain on the roster to receive e-mail notifications when this year's Winter Spare the Air season starts up again in November 2009.
Wood Smoke
The nine counties that surround San Francisco Bay are home to almost seven million residents and an estimated 1.4 million fireplaces and woodstoves. Wood smoke air pollution from these wood-burning appliances has been a health concern in the Bay Area for many years, especially on winter evenings. Wood burning produces about one-third of the particulate pollution on a typical winter night.