AYN Advice

Wood Burning and the Environment

Regardless of the fuel you choose to heart your home, its use will have impacts on the environment. When it is not done properly, the burning of wood can have negative impacts on both indoor and outdoor air quality. Smoldering, smoky fires that produce a plume of blue-grey smoke from the chimney are the main cause of wood heat-related air pollution. Wood smoke can be harmful when it’s breathed in by humans.

You can control the amount of pollution from your wood heating activities in a number of ways.

- Select an advanced technology stove or fireplace that is certified clean burning by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Use a suitable, correctly installed chimney.
- Avoid smoldering fires by learning to use the burn techniques which you can find in “A guide to residential wood heating”. These techniques can reduce the amount of smoke produced by as much as half.
- Burn only seasoned firewood. Never burn garbage, plastics, painted or treated wood, plywood, particleboard or cardboard.
- Make your house more energy efficient so you will use less fuel to heat it. Less fuel consumption means less environmental impact.
To get this free handbook go to http://www.cmhc.ca or call 1-800-668-2642