Letter: Why burn brush? 

Woody material such as logs, branches, dead vines and leaves, all contain lots of carbon. Left scattered on the forest floor, they slowly decompose and enrich the soil. Or, in a pile in the backyard or meadow, they provide needed cover for birds and other wildlife while they slowly decompose to benefit the soil.

If the leaves and branches are burned, the carbon dioxide goes into the air where we already have too much CO2. And fire produces other substances we do not need in the air but rather in the soil.

Our soil, water, wildlife will all be healthier if we leave woody debris where it falls on the earth, or in piles where it is beneficial. Why burn?

For a healthier watershed,

Beverly Hunter

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