Opinion: A burning issue
We’ve all woken up and seen the terrible plumes of smoke on a clear, frosty morning, drifting across the urban areas of Hastings. Some of us might have been concerned about what they and their
family were breathing in.
This has been an issue for some time, and I would like to recognise the work Rex Graham, former Chair of the Regional Council, has done around the issue of burning greenwood. There has been a
monumental behaviour change by orchardists when it comes to burning diseased wood during orchard redevelopment. But we aren’t there yet.
I firmly believe in education when it comes to changing behaviour, and we’re seeing changes because of this in the burning space. Take T&G Global who have made the important environmental
decision to no longer use vegetation burning as a land management tool.
The burning of replaced fruit trees during redevelopment has been a general practice on the Heretaunga plains. With the development of alternative mulching options, there are now practical choices for horticulturalists, which will in time become standard practice. The important environmental stand by T&G Global has prompted other horticulturalists to start the process of changing their redevelopment practices.
Thank you to all the horticultural industry bodies in Hawke’s Bay - Hawkes Bay Fruit Growers Association, Apples and Pears, HB Winegrowers, and Horticulture New Zealand - who have all been active this season to get the message out amongst their members.
I want to explain how fire and smoke are two different things. There are some great operators in Hawke’s Bay who very successfully use vegetation burning as a land management tool and do so very responsibly. Their neighbours may not even be aware that a fire is burning away across the fence. They understand the process of air movement, correctly drying vegetation, how to stack the pile, and how to monitor the heat so that everything gets burnt.
Smoke happens when wet wood or illegal material is burnt, releasing toxins that can get into our community’s lungs. So if you’ve got a good burning fire stack that doesn’t create smoke, it’s no danger to our health.
Burning complaints to the Regional Council’s Pollution Hotline is trending down over 70 per cent so far this year (118 complaints to only 32 this year to date) in relation to redevelopment and on farm burning.
Unfortunately, we’re seeing burning and smoky fires coming from lifestyle properties. Lifestyle owners aren’t often linked into any of the industry organisations, and so aren’t aware of the rules or
complexities of creating a safe outdoor fire.
The problem with burning on lifestyle properties is that often a pile of vegetation is created in a corner of their property which then gets burned once a year when they deem it safe to burn. And often in winter when there is no fire ban in place. Long-term stored vegetation starts to rot and absorbs moisture, increasing the risk of smoke. By not properly stacking a fire and not understanding the principals of proper burning these fires can smoulder for days.
But even for the lifestyles, there is a solution underway. The contracting industry is close to developing a smaller self-drive, hopper mulcher that can load itself while standing next to one of these piles. Turning this vegetative waste into garden ready organic matter. How cool is that!
There will come a time that outside burning will be severely restricted and permits will only be granted under strict conditions. The horticulture industry understands this and is working towards that day. Technology needs to be developed and applied overtime. But in the meantime, we will see very few instances of operators breaking the rules. Rules they have voluntarily agreed to.
Let’s work together for a better and healthier environment – we all breathe what you burn.
Hawke's Bay Regional Councillor - Ngaruroro, Jerf van Beek.
The opinions expressed in this opinion piece are the writers and not that of Hawke's Bay App.
