P.E.I. grass-burning tradition more harmful than helpful, says forestry official

It's a "time-honoured tradition" for some Prince Edward Islanders burning grass. Getting rid of the brown, dead vegetation to make way for new, green shoots.

But does it really help?

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About 1,000 Islanders annually get government permits for burning, mostly brush or trees that have fallen over the winter, but sometimes just to get rid of dead grass. And there are about 100 incidents annually of grass orbrush fires becoming out of control, according to P.E.I.'s Fire Marshal's office 20 in the last week alone.

"There are beliefs out there that it gets the grass growing up faster than normal or that it gets rid of the weeds, and in some instances they like to do it because it seems to be actually doing something," said Ken Mayhew with Forest, Fish and Wildlife on P.E.I.

"In actual fact, it doesn't do the new grass any good. It tends to burn much of it off, it takes nutrients out of the soil. Burning grass can also be detrimental to many of the insects and animals which live in those areas," said Mayhew, noting that birds often nest in grass.

Nova Scotia's Department of Natural Resources' website states burning actually reduces grass yield 50 to 70 per cent, and does not get rid of weeds, because seeds were deposited the previous fall.

The bigger problem, Mayhew adds, is the amount of smoke grass burning produces, and the potential for fires to get out of control and burn down buildings or forest.

'It's your lawn'

But even though the practice may be useless and probably harmful, Mayhew said, it's still allowed, and he's been very busy this week handing out burning permits.

"It's permitted, under the permit," Mayhew said. "It's a time-honoured tradition on Prince Edward Island. It really is something that doesn't do a lot of good, but ... it's your lawn."

The province issues permits to those in rural areas who want them between March 15 and December 1. Residents are only supposed to burn when the fire index is low, when wind speeds are 10 km/hr or less, and they must have a shovel and water on hand to manage the fire.

However, Mayhew notes the tradition of grass-burning seems to be waning.

"It's just not the cultural practice it used to be."

Conditions on P.E.I. are actually very dry right now, said Mayhew, even though the fire index is low.

"It's really only going to take a little bit of warm weather and some increased winds to change this around. Things are very dry and we ask people to use utter caution."

If your fire gets out of control, you could be fined from $200 to $1,000 plus the cost of putting the fire out and any damage to property, according to the P.E.I. government's website.