Farmers Burning Orchards *Cough Cough*

Spring is finally here, and it's been a beautiful day. I decided to take a break from working at home and take a quick stroll around the block. My neighbors have planted some beautiful flowers, and the colors are amazing.

This is only the second warm spring day we have had and I really wanted to get out of the house. The air was clear (no more snow), and the blue skies and fluffy clouds were beautiful. That coupled with the bright flowers had the makings of a beautiful walk.

I was only a block away from home when I noticed three big plumes of smoke coming from a nearby orchard. Ugh. Not again!

Avoiding the smoke

Abandoning my walk, I had to make a mad dash back to my house. The problem with that is that I'm not a very fast walker - and I was worried I couldn't get back to the safety of my home. And I was also worried because I didn't have my inhaler with me. (I was only walking around the block, so I thought it would be silly to take my purse.)

I hobbled back to my house and clean air - but was really irritated.

I'm not sure what the farmer does, but my guess is that he is trimming the fruit trees and then setting the branches on fire. Argh!

Why don't people understand that fires are NOT a good thing for anyone with asthma?

Other types of fires we have to avoid

• Smoke from forest fires (this one terrifies me - because my son ended up in ICU from a forest fire and almost died)
• Smoke from fireworks
• Smoke from cigarettes
• Smoke (or vape) from e-cigarettes/vaping
• Smoke from marijuana
• Smoke from housefires

If it sounds like we have to be on the lookout for fires and smoke, you are right. It seems like we are always on alert for asthma triggers!

So what else can the farmer do with his orchard? I'm not a farmer -  and I don't know what they normally do. But, is there another way to dispose of the clippings from the fruit trees? Not only do I hate any type of fire, but I also worry because our state is in a prolonged drought. So, I don't think it's the best idea to start a fire!

I'm sure I'm not the only neighbor who was asthma, and breathing in smoke isn't the best for someone with a heart condition either. I also have a few neighbors who are undergoing treatment for cancer. Is there something the farmer can do that could keep all of us healthy?

Options for orchards

In my county, residents can pay an extra weekly fee for a green waste garbage can for any tree clippings, bushes, grass clippings, etc. It's emptied once a week and taken to the "green waste" area of the landfill.

If you are working on a big project (say an orchard...) you can take a truckload of green waste to the landfill. The staff has a wood chipper for the bigger branches, and they can create mulch from all of the branches, grass clippings, etc. Then they sell the mulch to the residents. It's recycling at its finest!

And unlike fire and smoke, the mulch isn't going to cause problems for people with asthma, heart problems, or cancer.

All you farmers out there - is there a better way to get rid of clippings from fruit trees? Rather than burning them and causing someone to have an asthma attack?