(MI) The Detroit News – It used to be a regular part of fall weekends all over Michigan: a yard full of leaves raked into a pile and burned, creating that distinctive smell that became an integral part of the season.
But these days, one man’s nostalgia-inducing aroma is another’s air pollution.
In many places, leaf-burning isn’t welcomed with open arms or even welcomed at all. Many older inner-ring communities have banned the practice outright. Other communities that have seen population growth in recent decades have found that closer quarters and leaf-burning don’t mix. And in the environmentally conscious 21st century, even state officials have urged an end to the practice. More