CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The North Carolina Forest Service has issued a burn ban on all open burning and canceled all burning permits for 32 counties in western North Carolina, including Mecklenburg. 

The ban went into effect at 5 p.m. Friday, April 3, and remains in effect until further notice. The ban is in effect for the following counties:

Open burning includes burning leaves, branches or other plant material. In all cases, burning trash, lumber, tires, newspapers, plastics or other nonvegetative material is illegal