MEDFORD, Ore.– An air stagnations advisory is now in effect for Jackson County. That’s coming from the National Weather Service which says that air quality could be unhealthy for some people.
According to Jackson County Environmental Public Health, the advisory will go from now till noon Monday. A health specialist with the office says that this is coming from a unique occurrence to the Rogue Valley known as a temperature inversion.
What that means is air becomes trapped beneath a thermal layer holding in all the smoke. That’s why the advisory asks people not to use uncertified wood stoves and chimney
“A certified wood stove is very efficient in that it burns off the emissions,” said Jon Wright, an air quality coordinator with the public health office. “By the time they get out of the chimney, they are pretty much gone, disintegrated.”
Jackson County has an ordinance in place that restricts burning, open burning and wood stove use that is uncertified. However, cities code enforcement teams are the ones that will be ensuring homes with chimneys aren’t releasing visible smoke.
This advisory won’t affect prescribed burns however as they fall under federal and state jurisdictions.
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