VIDALIA, La. — A burn ban in effect for Concordia, Tensas, Catahoula and 30 other Louisiana parishes for a little more than one month has been lifted by Agriculture Commissioner Bob Odom.

&uot;People have been calling our office asking if the ban has been lifted, and we just found out that it has,&uot; Nolen Cothren, chief of Concordia Fire District No. 2, said Friday afternoon.

On Sept. 6, Gov. Mike Foster issued the ban on outdoor burning and declared a state of emergency in 39 parishes due to drought conditions. Foster’s proclamation gave Odom and State Fire Marshal V.J. Bella joint authority to remove the ban in any of the parishes.

Odom said he had lifted the ban due to an increase in rainfall but reserved the right to place any parishes back under the ban if drought conditions worsen.

A burn ban in effect for Adams County was lifted Monday.

St. Joseph, La., the nearest location for which U.S. Department of Agriculture statistics were available as of Friday, has received 31.37 inches of rain this year, compared to 41.09 inches for the same period in an average year.

Burn bans are usually issued when an area has not only low rainfall but also daily high wind speeds, low humidity and a high number of grass fires, according to Louis Heaton, chief of forest protection of the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry.

Fire officials still recommend that area residents keep the following tips in mind when conducting outdoor burning:

— Let local fire departments know when and where you intend to burn debris.

— Have a water hose and rake nearby while you burn.

— Supervise the fire during the entire burn, and make sure the fire is completely out before leaving the scene.

— Keep track of weather conditions, and don’t burn on a windy day.