Dan Bross, KUAC – Fairbanks
The advance of spring is winding down the heating season, but state and local officials want Fairbanks area residents, who burn wood, to start preparing for next year. The public outreach “Split, Stack, Store and Save” campaign is aimed at reducing fine particulate pollution. North Star Borough P.M. 2.5 project coordinator Kristy Dehaven says prepping wood early will ensure it’s ready for efficient burning by next fall.
DeHaven says dry wood also produces less creosote on stove pipe, reducing the chance of a chimney fire. Burning green wood is a major source of local fine particulate pollution that’s landed Fairbanks in violation of federal clean air standards. The state and borough are charged with coming up with ways to clean up local air. DeHaven says following some simple steps will result in dry wood.
DeHaven says depending on the wood, the weather and the amount of sunlight your wood pile gets, logs can be dry enough to burn cleanly and efficiently in six months.
Download Audio (MP3)
