Burn, Leaves, Burn
By MS. ALLISON ELLIOT, STAFF WRITER
Emily Brontë, in her poem “Fall, Leaves, Fall,” described the autumn season well: “Fall, leaves, fall; die, flowers, away; Lengthen night and shorten day; Every leaf speaks bliss to me, Fluttering from the autumn tree.”
In a less romantic sense, fall means you probably have a yard full of dead leaves and fallen branches, and you need to clear it before winter comes and buries it under a pile of snow. Instead of hauling this organic matter to the curb for select yard waste pickup days, you may be tempted to burn it all in a fire pit. Make sure you know the laws and safety rules before you start a fire.
Begin by checking out the local laws concerning open fires for burning leaves. They vary across the country and are generally readily accessible if you search online. Some local laws outright ban1 open fires, such as in Jefferson County, CO, when there is a Stage 2 fire ban. Others, such as Cook County, IL, require people who want to burn landscape waste to apply for and receive an open burning permit.2
Why is there so much regulation? Open burning is dangerous for many reasons. Fires can quickly spread out of control with a gust of wind or an errant spark and cause wildfires. In 2020, approximately 57,000 wildfires burned more than 10.3 million acres in the United States, up from 2019, when 50,477 wildfires burned 4.7 million acres.3 Notably, in 2020, for 6 months, wildfires in the western United States caused about $20 billion in damage4 and killed 25 people in California.5
Another dangerous effect of wildfires and open fires is air pollution. Those who saw the news coverage of the 2020 wildfires in the western United States may remember images of the skylines of major cities covered in clouds of smoke. In some areas, the sky even appeared bright orange.6 This smoke can affect everything, from crops that rely on sunlight to grow to visibility for pilots.
On a micro level, open fires release tiny particles of matter into the air that can exacerbate asthma and other existing lung conditions.7 For those without breathing problems, these fires can cause bronchitis, eye irritation, headaches, shortness of breath, and worse. According to an article by Atrium Health, “short- and long-term exposure to burning fallen leaves can even lead to an increased risk of asthma attacks, heart attacks, and carbon monoxide poisoning.”8
To prevent these safety hazards, experts have tips on how to burn safely if your local laws permit open fires for landscape waste.9 First, only burn branches, leaves, and twigs, and nothing that is still green. Avoid burning thicker branches and logs, as they will retain the heat from the fire longer than you would expect. Also, burning branches that have had poison ivy, oak, or sumac can cause allergic reactions and inflame your lungs, so put those in a trash bag instead.
Then, create a small pile in an open area, at least 50 feet from any structure. Ideally, you will use a fire pit. Work in batches instead of lighting it all at once, and keep those piles separated by a sensible distance. Grab a working hose and keep it nearby in case you need to douse the fire for any reason. Lastly, make sure it is not windy, as that can cause a wildfire, as mentioned previously, or blow harmful smoke in your face.
As a community, there are safe practices designed to reduce the overall effect on the air quality, including burning leaves in a given neighborhood on the same day. Getting a green light from local officials to burn on a particular day allows those with lung issues to plan to stay indoors during the burning. Consider these practices, and feel free to research more to burn your leaves in a community-friendly manner.
We all need to work together to reduce the harmful effects of a mismanaged open fire by burning leaves safely!
1 https://www.jeffco.us/528/Fire-Ban-Details
2 https://www.cookcountyil.gov/service/open-burning-permit
3 https://www.iii.org/fact-statistic/facts-statistics-wildfires
4 https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/billions/events
5 https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/man-womanwho-died-california-fires-were-ready-flee-stayed-n1240200
6 https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/photos-showmassive-wildfires-devastating-oregon-and-california/
7 https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/photos-showmassive-wildfires-devastating-oregon-and-california/
8 https://atriumhealth.org/dailydose/2018/10/12/pc-isburning-fallen-leaves-hurting-your-health
9 https://www.thisoldhouse.com/yards/21541802/all-aboutburning-leaves