The end of a busy work week was blessed with a magnificent painting of light and color in the day’s end sky. It’s hard not to feel grateful to just be alive and breathing in the world when presented with such a scene.
The feeling followed me home like a faithful dog.
And then the crisp fragrance of autumn leaves and clean night air was assaulted by the repugnant stench of woodsmoke. Not the aromatic scent of apple wood or hickory, dried and cured for crackling action in a fine fire, but the rather more nasty and poisonous spew from too green oak and other loathsome fuels.
A poisonous tradition holds sway here in the heart of Penns Woods among burners and firemakers — so much so that elected officials who’ve long banned the burning of trash and brush and other waste as noxious and unnecessary are unable to address the friendship fire which is equally noxious and arguably less necessary than the others.
Harris Township so far doesn’t have the courage to address what they consider a nuisance to be dealt with by the police rather than by ordinance leaving the poor police department holding the sticky end of the lollipop with no real criteria to assess a “nuisance”. Talking to one of the township supervisors at election night this past Tuesday about this issue his response was, “People love their fires…”.
Yes they do.
“I have a right to burn a fire!” is a familiar refrain I’ve heard many times expressed with upright patriotic fire. Less often do I hear “I have a right to breathe clean air!”.
Whose rights win in that argument? Burn but don’t let your smoke leave your property? Hold your breathe until the fire goes out?
The argument reminds me of the ongoing argument concerning loud exhaust systems on motorcycles — my right to bolt on loud pipes (and save lives) versus my right to enjoy a little peace and quiet in an increasingly noisy world.
With both situations there seems little intelligent dialogue and instead more self centered, self interested actions based in childish “I want what I want and it’s a free country and don’t tread on me because it’s my land.” Or something like that.
But perhaps it doesn’t matter. We’ll all die of something anyways and maybe the particulate ridden cancer swollen smoke won’t trigger enough mutation to cause lung cancer or the asthma won’t be bad enough to kill you. And the carbon pouring into the air because I want a fireplace or wood burner or friendship fire doesn’t matter because climate change is a hoax much like the Apollo moon landings and Elvis’s death.
The sky is still beautiful. The air still stinks.
I hear you on this. We have the same issue especially after the solid fuel outdoor boilers became popular. There has even been some school closings in the past with the kids being sent home due to some inconsiderate jerk burning wood or coal in their outdoor boiler as is “their right”. I believe that it is now regulated by the state and a bunch of activists are fighting to get their right to pollute back…
It’s hard to imagine how someone justifies this in their head — especially those people who otherwise consider themselves “environmentalists” or “living simply”. Over the mountain from here is Belleville, a rural community with a large Amish population. On some cold mornings when you ride into that valley you’re hit with the vision (and smell) of a valley wide swatch of woodsmoke driven smog. It reminds me of the industrial smoke and gas I grew up with outside of Pittsburgh before the smoke controls laws were put into place. Same sort of thing happened then where you just had to ask yourself how they justified it.
The only leg they can possibly lean on is their right to pollute. Or I suppose the old argument that it’s “natural”…
I like a fire as much as the next guy but there are situations where it just seems rude. But it’s a difficult subject for communities and elected officials so I don’t expect much to happen.
Almost nothing in this world is a right. It’s not a right to have a house. It’s not a right to have a job. It also is not a right to burn wood-fuel. That being said, as someone who has a rather substantial fireplace in their house and relies on the burning of wood to supplement our heat, I love a wood burning stove. I love seeing the fire ablaze in the glass window of our enameled stove. I love the heat that it throws off into the house and the warmth against my body when I stand next to it. I even love the smell. But I love the smell of a well burned fire – the faint lingering odor you notice when there is almost no smoke coming out of the chimney. That in itself I would not call ‘pollution’ (to use your phrase) any more than the smell of my neighbor’s dryer sheets every time they do laundry, which I honestly find much more offensive. One ultimately cannot choose between the preference of one smell over the other, claiming that one is ‘right’ and one is ‘wrong’. I have always disliked a badly burnt fire, one that tries to combust wet wood, pine branches, or lacks sufficient heat or draft, creating dense lingering black smoke. People should learn how to burn wood appropriately. Backyard fires are unfortunately a nuisance when it comes to these things because you can’t burn them cleanly. Their very nature is that they are dirty and disgusting. Perhaps their should be an ordinance, along with an enforcement on the loudness of lawn mowers and leaf blowers. For my part, I am going to stick with my fireplace and wood burning. It might be a bit environmentally unfriendly, but it can’t be any worse than our diesel VW. :/
You’ve hit the nail on the head Hannah — a badly burnt fire is a real problem along with a wood burning stove without a combustion chamber. It’s all a difficult question for municipalities on what’s a nuisance, what’s a health risk, and can one person deprive another of reasonable use of their property.
I don’t expect much to happen anytime soon.
I feel for you. I get proper wood-burning, but burning leaves is a lose-lose proposition. Irritating smoke with carcinogens. Yech. Composted leaves are wonderful…sure they take space and time to break down, but it’s free fertilizer.
It’s been quiet here lately, but when my neighbor remarried, she got a guy that liked to burn things. Shortly after he moved in, he piled up the grass clippings, and later in the day I saw the pile smoldering, Green grass. Geeze. Another time I saw what looked like a plastic (inflatable?) mattress on the fire pit. I’m not one to storm over to lecture neighbors, but I really wanted to. Had an uncle who wanted to burn his old roof shingles at night so he wouldn’t get caught. Where do these people think the smoke goes? It’s out of sight, out of mind. So much for country living. Fortunately the leaf-burning is far less frequent than it used to be here….almost everyone would pile them up and burn them, and now it’s unusual.
We don’t see much leaf burning anymore since the township now picks up brush and leaves a couple times a year. But I suspect there have been some midnight shingle burners…
Here In So. Ca. where our houses are stacked right next to each other, a few years ago it became all the rage to install out door fireplaces in your minuscule back yard. I have lost count of how many nights we have had to close up our house because of the noxious smell of people burning junk wood. This last year it has tapered off, maybe the novelty has worn off.
Same here — there was a big push by landscape contractors to build fire pits and install burning devices. But use has fallen off.
People often equate a perceived entitlement with a Right, and a Right with power, especially if it gives them the (perceived) ability to do something they, or common sense says, is wrong. In cities you see this in neighborhoods where people believe that the space in front of their house is their personal parking spot. Legally, it’s not, but turf wars and feuds have been started over such things.
If you live in a town where wood fires cause such concerns over ‘what’ is being burned I’d suggest setting up a fire fuel etiquette. This could be done through social media where members of your town are invited to join, discuss and even share, trade and barter aged fire woods. More, violators could be acknowledged, or even shamed for a violation of agreed upon etiquette. Public embarrassment can do more than perhaps any ordinance, law or political will(or lack there of) can.
Thanks for you ideas. They’re worth thinking about but I’m not interested in battles with neighbors. That never goes anywhere.
You left out Jim Morrison – partying with Elvis in the south of France, I just know it.
This has always been a tough issue, made harder still by the paralysis of our current state of polarized politics. Those concerned for their overall health and safety versus those who perceive their lives, real or imagined, as being “nanny-stated” to death.
And don’t get me started on loud pipes…
Oh yeah — Morrison and Elvis — I forgot.
I’ll never raise the topic of loud pipes. Talk about a polarized issue…
I love reading your wise words. I love it.
Wise words.
Indeed.
Long time no see. Saw on your blog that you passed 66666 kilometers on your Vespa!
Oh yeah, hellish ain’t it? 🙂
In the last three years I moved and I had a daughter. My Vespa is still alive but I can ride just a dozen times per year…
I ride through your words and pictures, it’s a nice substitute 😉
Life gets in the way sometimes and sends you on a detour. A dozen rides a year is better than no rides right?
Congratulations on having a daughter. Keep the scooter running — she’ll want it. I just became a grandfather with a lovely granddaughter. They grow up fast. Pay attention.
Maybe just go for a fire enthusist Facebook page. I agree. Neighborhood feuds aren’t worth it.
I’m a lover not a fighter!
This is a really great post Steve…I’m with you 100 percent with these opinions… also here is my favorite take on gun control …really well done ..take a peak. this guy is smart and funny.
Brent
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=89d_1411198955