An informed dialogue is always a better solution

In the fall of 2008, the town council of Hampstead, a downtown neighborhood of Montreal, banned wood stoves. The by-law adopted by the council contains the most sweeping and uncompromising limits to the use of wood fuel of any jurisdiction in Canada. Response to the move has been mixed; some commentators were critical of the council’s hard-line approach and others applauded the effort to reduce air pollution. The council’s move was not informed by an extensive discussion with people who understand wood heating technology and the motivations of those who burn wood for heat and enjoyment. A thoughtful dialogue about where and under what conditions wood burning is appropriate would have been a useful way to start. Vilifying people who heat with wood is hardly a useful strategy.

There are better ways to manage the problem of wood smoke, but they involve a range of steps rather than a simple ban. Wood burning could be permitted, but only in advanced technology equipment that is tested and certified for low emissions. This one step could produce a 90 per cent reduction in smoke pollution. Pellet stoves could be permitted because most have lower emissions than even clean burning wood stoves.

Homeowners could be encouraged to burn only seasoned wood and to burn more carefully so that no smoke is visible at the top of their chimneys. People who insist on burning smoky fires could be shamed with photos and videos of their smoke plumes. Wood burning could be restricted during periods of particularly bad air quality. All of these strategies have been used by other municipalities in Canada in the US that have had problems with wood smoke. Follow up studies have shown marked improvement in winter air quality.

Two other important issues need to be considered as part of a discussion of the place of wood heating in Canadian communities. The first is the volatility and generally rising price of conventional fuels that has caused more homeowners to consider wood heating as a cost-saving measure. The second is that greenhouse gas emissions related to energy use continue to rise in Canada. The use of wood for energy is a good strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions because it produces by far the lowest carbon emissions of all heating fuels.

Banning of wood stoves tends to polarize the community by pitting one neighbour against another. It also prevents the participation of the wood heating industry and other knowlegable people in helping to reduce pollution. For two decades, wood stove retailers, chimney sweeps and stove manufacturers have shown their willingness to actively promote clean wood heating.

The simple banning of wood stoves may be expedient for an urban Montreal community, but it is not an appropriate or effective way to deal with an important fuel that has strategic importance for both individual families and the whole country.