# The Smoke Season



## VFR (Dec 23, 2009)

Every day (well every morning) no matter where you travel across Spain we are now into the season of wood smoke.
All the cuttings are done (with more to come) and each day, in each plot, each Pepe will burn off his pile of rubbish that in these cold mornings the smoke will rise up until it hit the upper cold layer of air and then travel along for a kilometer (or 2) until it reaches the next pile being burnt.
Should you be driving towards these villages / towns (that the smoke obscures) you may wonder why no one never raises this as an issue ?
Spain has banned smoking in most places but allows this idiocy to affect so many for so many months each winter (it must do IMO)

Not to mention the millions of tonnes of wood being burnt in the fireplaces.


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

VFR said:


> Every day (well every morning) no matter where you travel across Spain we are now into the season of wood smoke.
> All the cuttings are done (with more to come) and each day, in each plot, each Pepe will burn off his pile of rubbish that in these cold mornings the smoke will rise up until it hit the upper cold layer of air and then travel along for a kilometer (or 2) until it reaches the next pile being burnt.
> Should you be driving towards these villages / towns (that the smoke obscures) you may wonder why no one never raises this as an issue ?
> Spain has banned smoking in most places but allows this idiocy to affect so many for so many months each winter (it must do IMO)
> ...


Around here, each different area has a different day on which they can burn. If you don't comply, then you get fined - heavily!

For obvious reasons, they don't allow burning in the summer - this year (for Valencia) this was May - November!


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## Megsmum (Sep 9, 2012)

snikpoh said:


> Around here, each different area has a different day on which they can burn. If you don't comply, then you get fined - heavily!
> 
> For obvious reasons, they don't allow burning in the summer - this year (for Valencia) this was May - November!


We have to get a license to burn anything.... including BBQs
No burning from April to October
One week wait from getting license to burning
License lasts 30 days


Like you huge fines for non compliance 

Any burning heremis usually of olives, figs and vine cuttings. Rural camino ditches are burnt back in October to allow for the rain to flow. 

In the next town area, they grow a lot of rice, corn and other crops. Just like the in the UK, they burn stubble, that can be difficult to drive through as it’s on a mass scale.

I don’t have any issues as such, I get the environmental concerns, but what’s the alternative, I know one person who has a “ chipper” but it’s for a small amount, the guys around here have acres and acres of olives, figs and vines. Burning is cheap and easy.


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## Overandout (Nov 10, 2012)

Are you sure its not the PP local offices burning paperwork?


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## VFR (Dec 23, 2009)

snikpoh said:


> Around here, each different area has a different day on which they can burn. If you don't comply, then you get fined - heavily!
> 
> For obvious reasons, they don't allow burning in the summer - this year (for Valencia) this was May - November!


Ah yes Ontinyent.
Coming out of the tunnel & heading towards there the whole vally is under smoke for months as each area takes their turn, this area one morning & so on.
Have you not seen the same approaching other towns (?) as each area of the town takes their turn resulting in the same issue.
The smoke on these cold mornings rises up a few hundred meters & can go no further, so it just spreads out & out.


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## jimenato (Nov 21, 2009)

One would have thought they could do something more positive with it.

Around here it's 'cleaning' the forest in preparation for the cork harvest. A huge amount of wood and undergrowth is cleared and simply burnt each year.

Surely it could all be collected up, shipped somewhere central and burnt to produce power or something.


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## xgarb (May 6, 2011)

Here you quite often see huge plumes of smoke rising into the air and dissapating to fill the valley. Sometimes you can see what the fire is and it's usually a small pile of wet leaves and sticks. The men are often standing staring into it like transfixed children.

It's probably illegal and probably they are supposed to have a license but I don't think the town hall or the local police can be bothered to deal with it.

Here people also burn any old random crap in their fireplaces/wood burners and smoke can be seen pouring out chimneys. This is in the middle of a large town.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

jimenato said:


> One would have thought they could do something more positive with it.
> 
> Around here it's 'cleaning' the forest in preparation for the cork harvest. A huge amount of wood and undergrowth is cleared and simply burnt each year.
> 
> Surely it could all be collected up, shipped somewhere central and burnt to produce power or something.


Good idea, but I can't see any of the electricity companies lining up to organise and pay for it. Too labour intensive.

Up until the 1950s, it used to be made into _carbón_ (charcoal) which was used for cooking and heating. A pleasing virtuous circle which provided work for many people.

Perhaps with the rising price of electricity it will make a comeback?


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## jimenato (Nov 21, 2009)

Interesting article here about a wood burning power station in the UK


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

jimenato said:


> Interesting article here about a wood burning power station in the UK


In the UK, some places use the chippings to create electricity for farms. 

Other places use the chippings to make compost.


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## jimenato (Nov 21, 2009)

snikpoh said:


> In the UK, some places use the chippings to create electricity for farms.
> 
> Other places use the chippings to make compost.


I was at the National Trust's Tyntesfield House in Somerset the other day. They have a large heating and water heating facility using wood chippings, largely sourced on the estate, to supply some of the buildings and kitchens. 

Very impressive and shows that these things can be done.

Also in the UK, garden waste is collected separately and recycled - I'm not sure what they do with it.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

jimenato said:


> I was at the National Trust's Tyntesfield House in Somerset the other day. They have a large heating and water heating facility using wood chippings, largely sourced on the estate, to supply some of the buildings and kitchens.
> 
> Very impressive and shows that these things can be done.
> 
> Also in the UK, garden waste is collected separately and recycled - I'm not sure what they do with it.


I'm sure it will happen here eventually. But as you know, we are a bit behind the times down here.

UK garden waste is turned into compost, but using a higher temperature than a domestic compost heap so it destroys weed seeds etc. Either sold to the public or used in municipal parks and gardens.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

> Every day (well every morning) no matter where you travel across Spain we are now into the season of wood smoke.
> All the cuttings are done (with more to come) and each day, in each plot, each Pepe will burn off his pile of rubbish that in these cold mornings the smoke will rise up until it hit the upper cold layer of air and then travel along for a kilometer (or 2) until it reaches the next pile being burnt.
> Should you be driving towards these villages / towns (that the smoke obscures) you may wonder why no one never raises this as an issue ?
> Spain has banned smoking in most places but allows this idiocy to affect so many for so many months each winter (it must do IMO)


It is only 'idiocy' in the eyes of ignorant foreigners. There are very good reasons for the prunings being burnt and the main one is to stop the spread of pests and diseases. As for domestic wood burning, once the fire is well alight this should normally be a a high enough temperature for the visible smoke particles to be fully burnt so that the resultant discharge is almost invisible just as it is from our chimney stack.


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## VFR (Dec 23, 2009)

baldilocks said:


> It is only 'idiocy' in the eyes of ignorant foreigners. There are very good reasons for the prunings being burnt and the main one is to stop the spread of pests and diseases. As for domestic wood burning, once the fire is well alight this should normally be a a high enough temperature for the visible smoke particles to be fully burnt so that the resultant discharge is almost invisible just as it is from our chimney stack.


 Should have known our most "ignorant" poster would be along at some stage to reply.

Yes I have no doubt it kills the pests, should there be any left after all the spraying of chemicals they use, my thoughts are about all those who might have a respiratory system problem in all those towns.

Yes should have known that your chimney would have none (specsavers ?) but most do & join that pall of smoke that lingers over your town.
Now I wonder where all that grey dust comes from that is all over the cars that live outside at this time of year.


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## Megsmum (Sep 9, 2012)

Alcalaina said:


> Good idea, but I can't see any of the electricity companies lining up to organise and pay for it. Too labour intensive.
> 
> Up until the 1950s, it used to be made into _carbón_ (charcoal) which was used for cooking and heating. A pleasing virtuous circle which provided work for many people.
> 
> Perhaps with the rising price of electricity it will make a comeback?




Here in Extremadura, in my village it still is. When we had permissions from the forestal to chop lots of oak down, including our neighbors trees ( yes he gave permissions too) Charcoal “ boys came in the early hours, collected bits of branches etc and worked thier charcoal magic. My husband has been involved in this over the years as well.

I have photos but can’t find, except this one


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## Poloss (Feb 2, 2017)

baldilocks said:


> It is only 'idiocy' in the eyes of ignorant foreigners. There are very good reasons for the prunings being burnt and the main one is to stop the spread of pests and diseases. As for domestic wood burning, once the fire is well alight this should normally be a a high enough temperature for the visible smoke particles to be fully burnt so that the resultant discharge is almost invisible just as it is from our chimney stack.


Belgians who come to France are surprised at the widespread tendency to burn prunings and entire hillsides of brambles and broom as it's totally forbidden in highly urbanised Belgium.
There's very strict reglementation in France and the increasing restrictions have been duly accompanied by the developement of "recycling" depots for "green" material even in very rural areas.

Farmers with vines or fruit trees all use the "brush-chipper" method with their tractor; the same when plane trees that line the roads and streets are pruned.

Remains the problem of pests and diseases. 
Having worked many years pruning all kinds of fruit trees in the French Rhone Valley, I can vouch for the red spider and all its kin surviving all onslaughts of phytosanitary products.
Fire, combined with a hard, freezing winter from time to time kept pests at bay but those days are behind us it seems.
One can make a good living by raising ladybirds, earthworms and bacillus thuringiensis.


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## Megsmum (Sep 9, 2012)

Poloss said:


> Belgians who come to France are surprised at the widespread tendency to burn prunings and entire hillsides of brambles and broom as it's totally forbidden in highly urbanised Belgium.
> There's very strict reglementation in France and the increasing restrictions have been duly accompanied by the developement of "recycling" depots for "green" material even in very rural areas.
> 
> Farmers with vines or fruit trees all use the "brush-chipper" method with their tractor; the same when plane trees that line the roads and streets are pruned.
> ...



Don’t get many newbies asking about earning living from those, although I do remember the infamous Lee and Cheryl on TV many years back looking for a snail farm.


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