Reduce Wood Smoke Emissions

As we enter heating season on the North Coast, recent pieces in Senior News have reminded us that wood smoke is not good for you.

As Dr. Jennifer Heidmann pointed out in July (“The Last Straw,” page 5), although we have some of the cleanest air in the world, scrubbed by the Pacific Ocean, air pollution is still a health concern. Trinidad resident Ellen Golla, outreach director for the national Doctors and Scientists Against Wood Smoke Pollution (dsawsp.org), argued that fireplaces and woodstoves — even certified “clean” units — can contribute emissions as deadly as factories and automobiles (“Stop Burning Wood,” September Senior News, page 24).

Here in Humboldt, there’s no escaping that firewood is a widespread heating source, so the North Coast Unified Air Quality Management District has some advice for staying safe in your homes and for reducing harmful pollutants from burning wood.

A basic annual maintenance task is to have chimneys and woodstoves inspected and cleaned to reduce fire risk. Winslow Condon, an air pollution control officer, also advises burning only dry, well-seasoned hardwood.

“Burning other materials, such as softwoods, trash or other refuse, can create excessive buildup in chimneys and contribute to both fire hazards and health concerns from smoke exposure,” he told Redwood News.

Condon also strongly recommends upgrading from older wood burners to newer, cleaner-burning, EPA-approved models. The air quality district is helping residents with grant funding to replace old stoves with cleaner-burning ones. He recommends replacing stoves from 2000 or older.

For information about the Woodsmoke Reduction Project, call the air quality district at 707-443-3093.

—Ted Pease