Group airs clean-burning ideas

Steve Eckels made one point clear at Thursday's clean air symposium.

"We are not trying to outlaw wood stoves," Eckels said.

Eckels, the founder of a group seeking cleaner air, added that the committee wasn't looking to take away any freedoms.

He said the goal was to clear the air through education and voluntary compliance.

About 20 people turned out for the symposium. The event was co-sponsored by the clean-air group and the Flathead City-County Health Department.

Along with Eckels, the event featured presentations by John Crouch, a wood-stove industry expert, and Mike Meschke, director of environmental services for the health department.

During his introduction, Eckels displayed data from February which showed 26 days color-coded as substandard for air quality.

"This is the worst month of the year" for poor air, Eckels said. "And this is not 100 percent from wood smoke."

He said that temperature inversions caused the particulate matter to accumulate from wood smoke as well as rush-hour traffic to average levels unhealthy to breathe.

Eckels proposed that the group issue a clean-air challenge to the community to try and lower the particulate average for a poor air month like February.

Meschke identified road dust as the Flathead's number one air pollutant for much of the year. Wood smoke ranks number two.

"Whether it's from open burning or wood stoves still eludes us today," he said.

Meschke detailed the progress made since the 1980s when government agencies began measuring pollutants and working at reducing emissions.

He said that slash generating 500 tons of airborne pollutants annually forms the break point between major and minor burners.

To control air pollution, slash burners work with state or local regulators who decide when and how they may burn based on prevailing winds and other ventilation factors.

"It's all now very paced and spread out," Meschke said.

An air quality hotline - 751-8130 - informs people when ventilation conditions allow fires during open burning season.

These rules and others concerning paving to control dust were adopted in Flathead County's air pollution control regulations.

Crouch of the Hearth, Patio and Woodstove Association said his association fought government regulations initiated in the late 1980s.

"Sometimes government does make things better," he said. "It [regulations] turned out to be one of the best things to happen to our industry."

Crouch said the clean-air movement resulted in the development of much-cleaner burning stoves which use less wood.

According to Crouch, the first clean-burning stoves used a catalytic system to reduce emissions. These designs add metered air and preheat air for a hot burn. They also force smoke back through the fire to achieve secondary combustion.

However, Crouch said a second generation of non-catalytic stoves dominates the market.

"Ninety percent of the woodstove sold today are non-catalytic," he said.

These stoves are engineered for a hotter fire with air entering at four locations. The stoves rely on high firebox temperatures and metered oxygen flow to achieve the maximum fuel value from each piece of wood.

According to Crouch, engineers faced a big problem in designing clean-burning wood stoves because, unlike a fuel like gasoline, loads of wood differ greatly. This led to development of pellets, a predictable fuel, and pellet stoves.

"The only problem is pellets are manufactured," he said. "You have to go buy it."

Crouch said efficiency remains the best selling point for getting

people to change out their old wood stoves.

"If I can use a third or half as much wood, that's what's in it for me," he said.

Health concerns form a second motivation since wood smoke contains small quantities of dangerous chemicals. He said wood smoke also becomes "a neighborhood issue" because it doesn't travel far.

According to Crouch, his association contributed $1 million to help change out wood stoves in Libby.

"The first load of wood stoves from Libby went to Kalispell for recycling today," he said Thursday.

He said 82 percent of the pollution in the Libby area traces back to wood smoke. The new clean-burning stoves went to people identified as low income.

Crouch said that any stove manufactured after 1990 would meet the Environmental Protection Agency's standards for clean burning. He also pointed out that efficient wood stoves qualify for Montana's $500 tax credit.

For those unable to afford a clean-burning stove, Crouch provided some tips for better combustion in old stoves.

"To burn efficiently, you cannot split wood too much," he said.

He also urged people to keep wood dry for a better burn.

In concluding remarks at the close of the symposium, Eckels placed grants for wood-stove changeouts near the top of his wish list. Most at the meeting acknowledged that the price of clean-burning wood stoves, beginning at about $1,000, poses a daunting problem.

Joe Russell, the county health officer, said that most wood stoves are located in the less affluent areas of the valley. He warned that any attempt to ban wood stoves could result in people not able to heat their homes.

Reporter Candace Chase may be reached at 758-4436 or by e-mail at cchase@dailyinterlake.com