This is a small issue

RE:Wood smoke takes your breath away


All I can say to this is, wow. I am always amazed when someone comes up with the most absolute worst case scenario over a small issue. And I do reiterate, a small issue. Now maybe I am a blessed person for not having breathing problems or a dislike for the smell of a burning wood fire.

I was fortunate enough to have grown up in a household that burned wood for heat regularly and even as a child I was never affected the way this very...charismatic...letter writer implies people are affected, and neither was any one in my family. I think it's a gross over statement to say that "Smoke entering and surrounding homes causes unbelievable panic and despair." when referring to a wood burning stove or fire pit. I don't know what your neighbours are like, and maybe they are burning discarded brush piles from tree removal or something large like that, but I hate to break the news, a fire pit can't possibly give off such "despairing" amounts of smoke.

There is mention of people's rights to breathe clean air, which I honestly don't think is being violated. However, while we are speaking of rights, what about a person's right to use a natural, free resource to heat their home and help lower their cost of living, especially in these challenging economic times?

As far as forest or wild fires. I can understand that frustration. It's not simply a matter of closing your windows for a while, however, these fires are a MUCH needed environmental cleansing that help drive out or kill pests such as the pine and spruce beetles that have been devastating our forests as it is, which in itself causes economic turmoil for the forest industry. These fires create new opportunities for future growth in these areas. Think back to times where there were not planes and helicopters and fire fighters to come curb a forest fire, they would run rampant. Which in the end helped to create the place that we all so affectionately know and Beautiful British Columbia.

But hey, this is all coming from a person who grew up in the Cariboo and comes from three generations of logging families, so maybe my view is a little less pouty and a little more realistic than some would prefer.


Michelle Cartmell