Wood smoke in summer: how your barbecue or fire pit affects neighbors' health
As warmer weather arrives, outdoor wood burning increases, but smoke can still harm health and disrupt daily life—especially for those with respiratory conditions. Check Stookwijzer.nl before lighting a fire to protect your neighbors.
| Key Data Point | Details |
|---|---|
| Main Issue | Wood smoke from stoves, fire pits, and barbecues releases toxic substances |
| Affected Groups | People with asthma, COPD, or sensitive airways |
| Worst Conditions | Foggy, calm, or windy weather |
| Advice Tool | Stookwijzer.nl (burning advice based on weather) |
| Reporting Nuisance | Via Stookwijzer.nl or direct neighbor discussion |
| Municipality Involved | Aa en Hunze (connected to Stookwijzer for nuisance mapping) |
Municipalities like Aa en Hunze play a key role in monitoring and addressing environmental nuisances, such as wood smoke, by providing tools like Stookwijzer.nl and mediating neighbor disputes. They also assess reports to identify problem areas and enforce local regulations where necessary.
Read the full translated article below
Nuisance from Wood Burning
Even in summer
As the weather improves, fewer people will light their wood-burning stoves indoors. Wood burning will shift more to outdoor settings. Even outdoors, it is important to be cautious with wood burning. Wood smoke can still be harmful and cause nuisance, especially when there is a lot of wind or fog.
Lighting a fire or barbecuing can be cozy, but it can also cause nuisance for your neighbors and be harmful to health. Burning wood in stoves, fireplaces, fire baskets, and barbecues releases toxic substances.
People experience nuisance from wood smoke, especially during foggy and calm weather. Those with asthma, COPD, and sensitive airways are particularly affected by wood-burning stoves. Often, it is so severe that they cannot go outside and must close the ventilation in their homes. Therefore, please consider your neighbors when you want to burn wood.
Do you still want to burn wood? Ask your neighbors if they are bothered by your wood-burning stove. During unfavorable weather conditions or poor air quality, smoke lingers longer. Therefore, always check the Stookwijzer before you decide to burn wood! Based on wind strength and air quality, the Stookwijzer provides burning advice.
Are you experiencing nuisance from wood smoke? First, try discussing this with your neighbors. If you cannot resolve it together, you can report it via Stookwijzer.nl.
The municipality of Aa en Hunze is connected to the Stookwijzer. This means that reports come directly to us, allowing us to map areas with significant nuisance. The reports we receive are examined from a construction and technical perspective. Additionally, we advise people to engage in conversation with those in their vicinity who burn wood when they experience nuisance.