Can someone please clarify the law, legal or unwritten, on having bonfires from June until the end of summer and your obligation to clean your land? We have been told we must not burn after cleaning the land after June 1, unless it rains or we burn it in the dry river.
Here are some member responses:
In Lucca province there doesn't seem to be any regulation on bonfires/grass cutting/burning. Everyone including me burns waste vegetation be it grass, branches, whatever, at the drop of a hat. You may wish to check with your local comune as there may be a local by-law on the subject, or ask a trusted neighbor; or look out for smoke on the horizon and investigate. Always remember not to leave fires unattended, as all areas are prone to wildfires (we lost most of our mountainside to one last year). I always have a bucket or hose nearby in case they get out of hand. Locals and fire brigade take a very dim view of uncontrolled fires.
Bonfires, called 'falò' are often forbidden in many areas from June to September, especially where there is the distinct possibility of forest or agricultural land fires. In the part of the Alps where I live, the farmers do not light any fires in the heat of the summer, when there is a breeze or a wind, or when the agricultural or forest 'sterpi' (twigs etc.) could create sparks that can so easily start fires that can burn entire villages on the mountainsides. The comune of Lecco at the bottom of Lake Como just announced strict rules about barbeques and bonfires in the province, and the fines are going to be quite stiff. The Guardia Forestale and the Vigili da Fuoco have a dreadful job trying to put out some of these fires, as often the nearby streams and rivers are almost dry when the snow melt is finished, and for them, finding sufficient water nearby to scoop up by helicopter is thier biggest headeache. Laws and 'local' acts should be known by the Guardia Forestale, Protezione Civile, Vigili del Fuoco and the comune where you live.
In our village there is a rule that you can have bonfires between 7 am and 10 am but not on Sundays and holidays. Who enforces it I do not know, as I have never had a fire since we took down three pine trees and had a fire for three days to burn all the brush. It was then that a neighbor told us about the rule.
I cannot understand why anyone would be foolish enough to light a fire in the heat of summer especially in areas surrounded by woods and abandoned land like our place. It's a huge risk to the people living nearby, wildlife, and firefighters. Nevertheless during the hot weather in May/June numerous fires could be seen around us in Abruzzo, some running along the whole length of a field and left to burn for several days. If you have trimmings you could pile them into a neat heap, water them and cover with plastic/old carpet etc. If possible in the shade. Then in the autumn it should have rotten down well enough to be composted, or burnt if you must. Unfortunately its not possible to make a firebreak around our 3000 sq m of woodland as one side is bordered by the road and the other sides are on slopes to steep to access. I do find that even in August the undergrowth is lush and green. All in all, it seems less likely to combust than all the grasslands around us that are abandoned and now not cut or cultivated.