In an area where inversion is a problem, the air quality is obviously a problem and the residents aren't doing anything to help the problem I do think someone needs to step in. We look at it from the point of the wood burner, what about the rights of the people being subjected to breathing poor air. "IF" people were being responsible with their wood burning habits others would be less likely to get involved. I'm all for less regulation and smaller government but when we as a population fail to handle our business someone is going to get involved. I look at wood burning like anything, just because you're poor doesn't mean you have to have a house/yard that looks like a disaster, just because you're poor doesn't mean you can't put your wood up in the spring instead of cutting/splitting as you use it. Some people just don't give 2 craps about the people around them and how their decisions influence all of us.
Heck, the gooberment already can't edumucate the populous while they're young and impressionable in school; how do think they are gonna edumacate adults that are "set in their ways" and know everything already??
There has been lots of talks of these bans on the "other" site... they always come up in WA and OR because they get those inversion conditions mentioned there that concentrate the smoke and make the air bad for asthmatics and such. The original article doesn't mention, but the bans usually give exemption for people with no other source of heat. Like many on here I am torn.. I dont like the idea of outright bans.... but I dont want to be subjected to breathing the black smoke from a neighbors OWB either. I dont see how any "seasoned wood" rule could be realistically enforced either.. 99% of people just dont know any better regardless of education/income/background.... and most think "its wood how hard can it be" and are not willing to learn, again regardless of background.
Education continually pops up when we talk of these things. However, how many of you have attempted to educate someone else who is burning wood? If so, how much success have you had? Personally, I don't think I've convinced but one person but have talked to many. It is sort of funny how sometimes I'll start out talking about good burning and suddenly they monopolize the conversation spouting all sort of bull with some baloney mixed in. They can't shut up long enough to listen and even if they do, they will continue on their merry way doing exactly what they've been doing....because they are convinced they are 100% right. Looking at this from a local government situation, one would have to ask, what kind of regulation would work? Would you have to state wood has to have been put up x years or x months ago? All wood is not the same. What about a burning ban? Where and how would you be able to pass an ordinance to cover only a few? Ban only OWB? Fat chance of that in this area. Most people who have them are farmers and in our township, farmers rule the roost. Last but not least, should a township or city pass a law, how would it be policed? Of course neighbors or anyone else could simply call to report someone. That includes some risk. People sometimes just like to stir up trouble and would report the tiniest things. I know of several who love to complain about their neighbors but most times their complaints are not warranted. All in all, it would be a tough thing to live with.
I'm not a fan of too many "rules" either.......I'm more inclined to find a way to educate. I remember when I was a young man thinking that wood was wood........it will all burn. After heating with wood most of my life......I see how wrong I was then. I was a hard headed young feller then too........I was probably told over and over that trying to burn green wood is counterproductive. This is a tough situation for a municipality to find a proper solution too no doubt.
Well... the FHC forum is a pretty good start on that educating thing, that's for sure. But, some people are funny... they can have all the facts and know exactly what they "should do"... but would choose to do it sideways, just cuz. Most towns seem to try to balance it all... no easy answers. Good thread.
Local governments could start with this. 1. There will be no bans on wood burning appliances. 2. Anyone who burns wood, or wants to burn wood will be given material on how and why it is beneficial to everyone that all burn wood that is seasoned. 3. Offer incentive of some kind. (I don't know what, but something tangible that would encourage people to split and stack their wood in the spring to burn the following season. Getting six months of seasoning might be realistic for more people. I know a year would be better, two even more so. But for most people they will just think your crazy if you tell them to do it two years ahead of time. Many don't have the room, the money, or the ambition. Within one year and spending the same amount of time and money may be conceivable to them.
In the town of Spokane Wshington they constantly have burn bans because of an inversion and the fact that the town kinda sits in a hole on the banks of the Spokane river with some mountains like on three sides so smoke can't get out of the valley easily. One thing they do do is not to limit people who use wood as they're only heat source, there are still folks that have wood fired furnaces and or stoves in their basement. This so far hasn't caused a great lot of problem, I can't believe they are handling the problem in a sorta intelligent manner. My son lived in a rental when he was first married that had a wood furnace, and we saw to it he had plenty of dry tamarack down the wood chute. No one ever bothered him at all.
Incentives rather than fines has always seemed to work much better in "prodding" the public. Good call Gas.
Unfortunately, welcome to the real world. 2nd hand chimney smoke is no different than 2nd hand cigarette smoke. Both camps contain members who could give crap less for their fellow man. I really do not want to get into the "political" debate here as it is not a part of this forum. That being said all the regulatory nonsense that generally comes out of these types of "We know what's better for you than you do" regulatory exercises conducted by people who generally do not have a clue of what they are talking about do little or nothing to cure the problem. Just more "Government Intervention" for your own good. Rant over.......
That's true! Well because the political debate is not part of the forum I don't want to get into it either. Let's have no government regulation. Everything would be soooooo much better. No safety regulations. No vehicle inspections. No emission controls on anything. No banking regulations, so they could run our economy into the ground again in order to make more money and get super, super filthy stinking rich! No equal anything for anyone. No rules or regulations by those pesky lawmakers and law enforcers. No health codes, fire codes, child protection laws, elderly care regulations. Oh I could go on and on and on how glorious a world it would be when we were with less and less government. Maybe even none!!!! Because if you know what's better for you than everyone knows what's best for themselves and we have to let everyone do what they know is best for themselves. Right? Rant over.... Phew. Glad it's not part of the forum!
Only thing I'll say is if my asthma or my kids' asthma was being caused or worsened by a neighbor's poor burning habits I would 1. Go to the neighbor and try to solve the problem between us and if that didn't work 2. Petition the local government for a solution, even if that included a burn ban. Liberal or conservative we all gotta breathe.
