I am for the burn ban. I have asthma and now COPD because of past work experiences and other factors during my life. I live just below the crest of a hill. When conditions are just right — wind, no wind, or when it is very hot — the smoke from neighboring woodstoves (and last summer a construction site burn) causes me to close all the windows in my home and stay indoors. I love my location except for that fact. In the winter the only time I can air out my home is when it is raining.
Those who own land and burn their leaves and fallen branches just because “it is what we do” need to rethink their actions. What would a good steward of the land do? Compost the leaves. Instead of burning your branches outdoors, age your branches and burn in a certified woodstove or a fireplace. That is stewardship.
Darrington was having trouble with smog caused by uncertified woodstoves. Agencies helped folks change to certified wood stoves.
Twenty-some years ago in Mountlake Terrace doctors discovered that many children were getting asthma, bronchitis and pneumonia at alarming rates in the winter. Uncertified woodstoves and outdoor burning and the terrain were to blame. Regulations were changed and now burn bans are called more often.
Outdoor burning, residential woodstoves and fireplaces make up 16 percent of the problem, according to a Herald graphic — more than industrial emissions. The auto industry is working on motor vehicle emissions. A fire, no matter the location or container, produces smoke. Burning a pile of wet debris or uncured wood adds pollution to the very air you and your neighbors breathe — especially the little ones and the elderly. Work on the anger and think about being part of the solution to the problem.
Peg Heinitz
Snohomish
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