Griffith City Council has encouraged landowners - and especially rice growers - across the region to exercise caution when burning and preparing for the new season.
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Council urged anyone planning a burn to avoid doing it over weekends, ensuring that community events and sports can enjoy clear skies and the best conditions - as well as limiting potential harm to asthmatics and others.
Planning and Environmental Manager Carel Potgieter said it was vital to be mindful of the weather and conditions when burning.
"Growers are to be mindful of the impact, and to only burn when conditions are appropriate. Growers have been asked to monitor weather conditions, to avoid burning late in the day and when there is no wind," she said.
"The Ricegrowers Association of Australia have recently developed a stubble burning app that assists growers, and we strongly encourage farmers to use it to help plan their stubble burns."
The app is specifically designed to help growers to plan and manage stubble burns in autumn, when the inversion layer is low enough to prevent smoke from dispersing.
If the mixing height is forecasted to drop below 1500 metres in the two hours after the completion of a burn stubble, smoke is likely to be pushed down close to ground level and remain there overnight.
