Residential Wood-Burning Appliances in Smithers: · PDF fileResidential Wood-Burning Appliances in Smithers: ... pollution. Page 2 of 49. ... 7 Survey Questions

Residential Wood-BurningAppliances in Smithers:

Door to Door Survey Results

Prepared by

Jesse Hiemstra & Co.

Prepared for

The Town of Smithers

And

B.C. Ministry of EnvironmentEnvironmental Protection Division

Oct 3, 2016

1 Executive SummaryThis document presents the findings from a door-to-door survey of wood-burning appliances conductedin the Town of Smithers during the month of June 2016.

Some notable results are as follows:

• Roughly 45% of the 1700 residences targeted in the Town of Smithers provided a response to

the survey questionnaire. Canvassers reached more than fifty percent of targeted residences during canvassing, three quarters of whom agreed to participate in the survey.

• Roughly one out of five residences that provided a response use wood heat in some form. The

overall incidence of wood burning may be as high as two out of five residences.

• Wood stoves outnumber fireplaces and pellet stoves by roughly three to one each among

respondents using wood heat.

• Roughly half of respondents indicate that their appliances are between two and ten years old.

More than half of respondents report their appliances are emissions-certified. However, with a third of respondents unaware of their certification status, the fraction of uncertified appliances may be as high as 40%.

• Slightly less than half of all respondents report being aware of the provincial woodstove

exchange program, and only a small fraction have yet participated.

• More than half of all respondents report seasoning their cordwood for more than a year.

• Respondents who indicate that air quality is mostly good outnumber respondents who indicate

otherwise by roughly two to one.

• Similarly, respondents who indicate that wood smoke has little or no effect on them outnumber

other respondents by roughly two to one.

• Respondents frequently identified industrial activity and transportation as other sources of air

pollution.

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2 Table of Contents 1 Executive Summary...............................................................................................................................2

2 Table of Contents...................................................................................................................................3

3 List of Tables..........................................................................................................................................4

4 List of Figures........................................................................................................................................5

5 Introduction............................................................................................................................................6

6 Survey Methods.....................................................................................................................................6

6.1 Reporting Areas..............................................................................................................................6

7 Survey Questions...................................................................................................................................8

8 Survey Results......................................................................................................................................10

8.1 Question 1 – Use of wood heat....................................................................................................10

8.1.1 Chimney count comparison..................................................................................................12

8.2 Question 2 – Wood as a primary source of heat...........................................................................14

8.3 Question 3 – Type of wood burning appliance.............................................................................15

8.4 Question 4 – Emissions certification............................................................................................17

8.5 Question 5 – Age of appliances....................................................................................................18

8.6 Question 6 – Consumption of wood fuel......................................................................................19

8.7 Question 7 – Seasoning of cordwood...........................................................................................23

8.8 Question 8 – Awareness of the Woodstove Exchange Program...................................................24

8.9 Question 9 – Air quality in Smithers............................................................................................26

8.10 Question 10 – Smoke from wood-burning appliances...............................................................28

8.11 Question 11 – Other sources of air pollution..............................................................................30

8.11.1 Free-form responses............................................................................................................33

9 Discussion............................................................................................................................................33

9.1 Experimental Bias and Sources of Error......................................................................................35

9.2 Recommendations for further work.............................................................................................36

10 Conclusion.........................................................................................................................................37

11 Acknowledgements............................................................................................................................38

12 List of References..............................................................................................................................39

13 Appendix A – Questionnaire listing...................................................................................................40

14 Appendix B – Response Guide..........................................................................................................41

15 Appendix B – Freeform Responses....................................................................................................43

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3 List of TablesTable 1: Reporting area characteristics......................................................................................................8

Table 2: Use of wood-burning appliances by reporting area....................................................................11

Table 3: Chimney count comparison........................................................................................................13

Table 4: Number of respondents for whom wood is the primary source of heat.....................................15

Table 5: Reported type of wood-burning appliance.................................................................................16

Table 6: Reported certification status by reporting area..........................................................................18

Table 7: Reported age of appliances........................................................................................................19

Table 8: Cordwood consumption.............................................................................................................20

Table 9: Freeform responses pertaining to fuel consumption (Question 6).............................................22

Table 10: Reported duration of seasoning................................................................................................24

Table 11: Reported awareness of woodstove exchange program.............................................................26

Table 12: Perception of air quality. "The air quality in Smithers is..."....................................................27

Table 13: “To what extent does smoke from wood-burning appliances affect air quality in your neighbourhood specifically?”...................................................................................................................29

Table 14: "To what extent does smoke from wood-burning appliances affect air quality in your neighbourhood specifically?"...................................................................................................................30

Table 15: To what extent do other sources of air pollution in Smithers and the surrounding area affect air quality in your neighbourhood specifically?.......................................................................................31

Table 16: “To what extent do other sources of air pollution in Smithers and the surrounding area affect air quality in your neighbourhood specifically?”.....................................................................................32

Table 17: Comparison of reported emissions certification......................................................................34

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4 List of Figures Figure 1: Reporting areas and collection areas. Watson's Landing constitutes a distinct reporting area but is not shown on this map......................................................................................................................7

Figure 2: Example questionnaire..............................................................................................................9

Figure 3: Overall reported use of wood-burning appliances...................................................................10

Figure 4: Wood-burning appliance use by reporting area.......................................................................11

Figure 5: Chimney count comparison.....................................................................................................12

Figure 6: Wood as a primary source of heat............................................................................................14

Figure 7: Type of wood-burning appliance.............................................................................................15

Figure 8:Type of appliances by reporting area........................................................................................16

Figure 9: Overall incidence of emissions certification reported among all respondents........................17

Figure 10: Relative incidence of reported emissions certification among various neighbourhoods......17

Figure 11: Age of appliances...................................................................................................................18

Figure 12: Reported cordwood consumption..........................................................................................19

Figure 13: Approximate total cordwood consumption among survey respondents................................21

Figure 14: Distribution of yearly pellet fuel consumption......................................................................21

Figure 15: Reported duration of seasoning.............................................................................................23

Figure 16: Reported duration of seasoning.............................................................................................23

Figure 17: Overall reported awareness of the provincial woodstove exchange program.......................25

Figure 18: Awareness of the provincial woodstove exchange program by reporting area.....................25

Figure 19: Air quality in Smithers...........................................................................................................26

Figure 20: Perception of air quality by reporting area............................................................................27

Figure 21: Reported effect of wood smoke.............................................................................................28

Figure 22: Effect of wood smoke by reporting area...............................................................................29

Figure 23: Other sources of air pollution................................................................................................31

Figure 24: Other sources of air pollution................................................................................................32

Figure 25: Frequency of one- or two-word phrases in free-from responses related to other sources of air pollution..............................................................................................................................................33

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5 IntroductionAir quality in Smithers and neighboring communities as measured by fine particulate concentration currently ranks among the worst in the province [1] [2], which contributes to a number of acute and chronic human health effects. Among other sources, wood-burning appliances contribute to air pollution in Smithers to an extent that depends on the number of appliances in use as well as their characteristics, including the type of appliance installed and the quantity of fuel burned within throughout the year.

This report presents findings from a door-to-door survey of wood-burning appliances conducted within the boundaries of the Town of Smithers during the month of June 2016. The pages that follow present the survey methods, results, sources of error, and possible follow-on work. The full survey dataset is available in machine-readable format at www.jessehiemstra.com/smithers-wood-survey.

The aims of the survey are to collect data on the number, location, type, and other characteristics of wood-burning appliances within the Town of Smithers, as well as to sample the public perception of airquality in general. The results may contribute to future airshed modeling efforts, as well as efforts to improve air quality in the Town of Smithers through the provincial woodstove exchange program.

6 Survey MethodsThe survey targeted 1725 single-family and multi-family residences with unobstructed street-level entrances, including duplexes and mobile homes. Not targeted were apartments, businesses, assisted-living facilities, residences displaying “no trespassing” signs, and residences that were unsafe, unsanitary, or otherwise uninviting to canvassing personnel.

Canvassing personnel visited as many residences as practical in each reporting area, and interviewed respondents according to a script derived from the contents of the questionnaire (see Appendix A and Appendix B). Canvassers would then appropriately mark a data collection form (shown in Figure 2 on page 9). Canvassers revisited certain neighbourhoods to achieve greater responsiveness and left paper questionnaires, with instructions for delivery to the town office.

As an additional benefit, the Bulkley Valley & Lakes District Airshed Management Society – the local organization responsible for delivering the provincial woodstove exchange program – provided a quantity of electronic moisture meters and instructional videos to be distributed in the community. Canvassers gave these items at their discretion to respondents who demonstrated a potential for them tobe put to good use, as determined by their answers to questions having to do with the duration of fuel seasoning and quantity of fuel use.

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http://www.jessehiemstra.com/smithers-wood-survey

6.1 Reporting AreasThe survey covers the vast majority of residential neighbourhoods within the boundaries of the Town ofSmithers. The survey area is divided into twelve reporting areas, each consisting of one or more distinctneighborhoods bounded by major roads, to capture information about the geographic distribution in responses. The boundaries of the reporting areas were agreed upon in discussions between representatives of Town of Smithers, Ministry of Environment, and the survey contractor. Canvassers were assigned to smaller collection areas within each reporting area. The following map shows the boundaries between reporting areas and collection areas.

Figure 1: Reporting areas and collection areas. Watson's Landing constitutes a distinct reporting areabut is not shown on this map.

There were two rounds of canvassing. Canvassing personnel collected 666 responses during first-roundcanvassing in all reporting areas, and 90 responses during repeat visits to selected neighborhoods; furthermore, residents in revisited neighbourhoods submitted 58 response forms directly to the Town ofSmithers office. The following table on the next page lists the number of residences in each of the various reporting areas, as well as the responsiveness during first-round canvassing.

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Table 1: Reporting area characteristics.

Survey total

Reporting Area

Bulkley-Morice 122 62 43 69% 35%Columbia-Queen 225 116 66 57% 29%Downtown-North 402 208 143 69% 36%Downtown-South 214 114 89 78% 42%Golfcourse-Manton 38 20 13 65% 34%Hudson Bay MHP 98 44 31 70% 32%Main-Princess-Nadina 224 121 104 86% 46%Riverside-Victoria-SMHP 53 29 24 83% 45%Schibli-AVE-Wildwood 109 73 65 89% 60%Silverking 126 60 46 77% 37%Watson's Landing 28 15 9 60% 32%Willowvale-ParkPlace-Ambleside 86 48 33 69% 38%Overall 1725 910 666 73% 39%

First-round canvassing only. Second-round and mail-in responses not included.

Number of residences

targeted

Residences present

Number of responses collected

In-person responsiveness

Sample size relative to

neighbourhood size

During the first-round of canvassing, personnel reached roughly 50% of targeted residences, at which three quarters of respondents agreed to participate in the survey. After a second round of canvassing and through drop-off responses submitted to the town office, personnel were able to obtain responses from an additional 9% of targeted residences.

7 Survey QuestionsThe survey questionnaire consists of 12 multiple-choice questions. The questions are a result of discussions between personnel from the BC Ministry of Environment and the Town of Smithers, and are influenced by the outcomes of pilot testing in the Watson’s Landing and Golfcourse-Manton reporting areas. The complete list of questions is presented in Appendix A.

After canvassing, completed questionnaires are digitized and processed by optical mark recognition software. The software recognizes multiple-choice responses automatically, and free-form responses are manually transcribed. Barcodes identify the collection area and the survey itself (as distinct from other surveys produced by the same software). Apart from the collection area barcode, all questionnaires are identical and not personally identifiable. Figure 2 shows an example questionnaire on the following page.

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Figure 2: Example questionnaire.

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8 Survey ResultsThis section presents results from the collected responses to each question. Further discussion beyond that included here is in Section 9.

8.1 Question 1 – Use of wood heatQuestion 1 reads: “Do you currently use wood as a heat source in your home?”

Overall, 22% of respondents reported that they use wood burning appliances. Furthermore, 6% of respondents reported that wood is their primary source of heat.

Yes, and Primary: 44 (6%)

Yes: 125 (16%)

No: 592 (78%)

Overall Use of Wood-Burning Appliances(reported)

Figure 3: Overall reported use of wood-burningappliances.

Assuming that some respondents falsely claimed not to use wood heat (motivations for which certainly exist), and that none (or few) of the respondents falsely claimed to use wood heat (for which there can be little motivation), then the 22% figure serves as a simple estimate for the minimum bound on the fraction of residences in Smithers that use wood heat.

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Due to their different size, the reporting areas with the highest fraction of wood heat users do not necessarily represent the greatest number of wood-burning appliances. Figure 4 gives an absolute accounting of the number of residences that reported using wood heat, which is informative in showingwhere most of the appliances may be found.

Bulkley, Morice

Columbia, Queen

Downtown North

Downtown South

Golfcourse, Manton

Hudson Bay MHP

Main, Princess, Nadina

Riverside, Victoria, SMHP

Schibli, AVE, Wildwood

Silverking

Watson's Landing

Willowvale, Park Place, Ambleside

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45

Absolute Incidence of Wood-Burning Appliance Usereported among all survey respondents

Number of Appliances

Figure 4: Wood-burning appliance use by reporting area.

The following table gives a numeric representation of the same information.

Table 2: Use of wood-burning appliances by reporting area.

Yes No

Overall 169 22% 592 78% 761Bulkley, Morice 20 31% 44 69% 64Columbia, Queen 39 32% 82 68% 121Downtown North 17 20% 69 80% 86Downtown South 21 27% 57 73% 78Golfcourse, Manton 6 46% 7 54% 13Hudson Bay MHP 7 21% 26 79% 33Main, Princess, Nadina 35 26% 102 74% 137Riverside, Victoria, SMHP 8 33% 16 67% 24Schibli, AVE, Wildwood 8 11% 68 89% 76Silverking 4 6% 65 94% 69Watson's Landing 0 0% 6 100% 6Willowvale, Park Place, Ambleside 0 0% 39 100% 39Not Recorded 4 11 15

Number of responses

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8.1.1 Chimney count comparison

Throughout the survey, canvassing personnel recorded the number of chimneys and wood piles in the various collection areas within the community. Examining these data gives a sense of the extent to which the reported and actual incidence of wood burning may differ.

Identifying wood-burning appliance chimneys is subject to error. The accuracy with which canvassing personnel are able to distinguish between wood burning appliance chimneys and other rooftop pipes and ducts varies from person to person, and not all evidence of wood burning may be visible from the street. The best results were obtained when canvassers navigated the back alleys downtown, toward the end of the survey, where it was easier to note both the presence of chimneys and wood piles. For these reasons, reliable chimney data is only available for a fraction of the community.

The following chart compares the reported incidence of wood burning to the fraction of residences withchimneys and wood piles in select neighbourhoods. (Note that the collection areas listed below are distinct from the reporting areas which they form, referred to throughout the rest of this document.)

ColumbiaHilltop

Queen-1Queen-2Queen-3Queen-4

Queen-5-P1Alfred North

Downtown-North-1Downtown-North-3

Railway NorthToronto

HBMHPPrincess-1Princess-2

SMHP

-50% 0% 50% 100% 150% 200%

Chimney Count ComparisonProportion of residences observed with chimneys or wood piles

compared to reported incidence of wood burning.

Reported incidence of wood burning in reporting area

Incidence of chimneys or wood piles relative to collection area size

Chimney count deviation from reported incidence of wood burning

Co

llect

ion

Are

a

Figure 5: Chimney count comparison.

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It can be seen that for the most part, the incidence of observed chimneys and wood piles exceeds the reported incidence of wood heating. This may be due to under-reporting of wood burning, or mis-recognizing inactive or natural gas chimneys as active wood-heating chimneys. However, the roughly 40% overall incidence of chimneys and wood piles provides an estimate of the upper bound on the capacity for wood heating.

The following table presents a numeric representation of the same information.

Table 3: Chimney count comparison.

Reporting Area Collection area All

Overall 723 217 10 75 302 42% 22% 90%Columbia-Queen Columbia 75 16 0 2 18 24% good 32.23% -26%Columbia-Queen Hilltop 13 3 1 0 4 31% good 32.23% -5%Columbia-Queen Queen-1 24 5 0 5 10 42% good 32.23% 29%Columbia-Queen Queen-2 23 4 1 6 11 48% good 32.23% 48%Columbia-Queen Queen-3 48 11 0 4 15 31% good 32.23% -3%Columbia-Queen Queen-4 27 4 1 4 9 33% good 32.23% 3%Columbia-Queen Queen-5-P1 15 4 0 2 6 40% good 32.23% 24%Downtown-North Alfred North 64 23 0 1 24 38% good 19.77% 90%Downtown-North Downtown-North-1 154 50 1 22 73 47% good 19.77% 140%Downtown-North Downtown-North-3 115 43 5 16 64 56% good 19.77% 182%Downtown-North Railway North 20 5 0 1 6 30% good 19.77% 52%Downtown-North Toronto 39 14 0 1 15 38% good 19.77% 95%Hudson Bay MHP HBMHP 21 8 0 2 10 48% good 21.21% 124%Main-Princess-Nadina Princess-1 36 12 1 3 16 44% fair 25.55% 74%Main-Princess-Nadina Princess-2 18 4 0 1 5 28% good 25.55% 9%Riverside-Victoria-SMHPSMHP 31 11 0 5 16 52% good 33.33% 55%

Residences noted /

targeted in collection

area

Chimney only

Wood pile

Chimney and

Wood

Number of residences

with features of wood burning

relative to collection area

size

Confidence (subjective)

Reported incidence of

wood burning in reporting

area

Chimney count

deviation from

reported incidence of

wood burning

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8.2 Question 2 – Wood as a primary source of heatQuestion 2 reads: “Do you consider wood to be your home’s primary heat source?”

Of those burning wood, the fraction of respondents who report that wood is their primary source of heatvaries between a minority and a majority among the various reporting areas. Figure 6 compares the fraction among all respondents who report that wood is the primary source of heat to the fraction using wood heat in any capacity. The reporting areas that include the two mobile home parks rely on wood heat to a greater extent than neighbourhoods consisting of more-recently constructed houses.

Bulkley, MoriceColumbia, QueenDowntown NorthDowntown South

Golfcourse, MantonHudson Bay MHP

Main, Princess, NadinaRiverside, Victoria, SMHP

Schibli, AVE, WildwoodSilverking

Watson's LandingWillowvale, Park Place, Ambleside

Overall

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50%

Relative Incidence of Wood-Burning Appliance Usereported among all survey respondents

Fraction of respondents using wood heat

Fraction for whom wood is the primary source of heat

Figure 6: Wood as a primary source of heat.

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Table 4: Number of respondents for whom wood is the primary sourceof heat.

Yes No

Overall 44 22% 159 78% 203Bulkley, Morice 4 13% 28 88% 32Columbia, Queen 7 16% 37 84% 44Downtown North 5 29% 12 71% 17Downtown South 6 29% 15 71% 21Golfcourse, Manton 2 33% 4 67% 6Hudson Bay MHP 5 71% 2 29% 7Main, Princess, Nadina 5 14% 32 86% 37Riverside, Victoria, SMHP 6 60% 4 40% 10Schibli, AVE, Wildwood 2 11% 16 89% 18Silverking 0 0% 5 100% 5Watson's Landing 0 0% 0 0% 0Willowvale, Park Place, Ambleside 0 0% 0 0% 0

Number of Responses

Note that the number of respondents in the neighborhoods with the greatest fraction of primary wood-burning (Hudson Bay MHP, Riverside-Victoria-SMHP) is relatively small, leading to a greater error due to chance in sampling. Also note that the number of responses to this question differs from the number of ‘yes’ responses to the preceding question, variously due to inconsistencies in the way that respondents filled out drop-off responses as well as possible uncorrected errors in optical mark recognition.

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8.3 Question 3 – Type of wood burning applianceQuestion 3 reads: “What kind of wood heating appliance do you have in your house?”

Woodstoves constitute the majority among the various types of wood-burning appliance reported to be in use, with fireplaces and pellet stoves roughly matched for second and third ranking, as shown inFigure 7.

58.47%

19.13%

14.75%

5.46%

Relative Abundance of Wood-Burning Appliances by Reported TypeWoodstove

Fireplace

Pellet stove

Wood furnace

Fireplace insert

Pellet furnace

Outdoor wood boiler

Don't know

Figure 7: Type of wood-burning appliance.

Figure 8 shows that the distribution of appliance types differs among the various reporting areas.

Bulkley, Morice

Columbia, Queen

Down-town Northwest

Down-town South

Golf-course, Manton

Hudson Bay MHP




Silverking Watson's Landing

Willow-vale, Park Place, Ambleside

Overall

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Relative Abundance of Wood-Burning Appliances by Reported Type

Woodstove Fireplace Pellet Stove Fireplace Insert

Wood Furnace Pellet Furnace Outdoor Wood Boiler Don't Know

Figure 8:Type of appliances by reporting area.


Page 16 of 49

Table 5: Reported type of wood-burning appliance.

Woodstove Fireplace

Overall 107 58% 35 19% 27 15% 10 5% 2 1% 1 1% 0 0% 1 1% 183Bulkley, Morice 16 70% 3 13% 4 17% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 23Columbia, Queen 23 56% 13 32% 2 5% 2 5% 1 2% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 41Downtown North 10 59% 1 6% 4 24% 2 12% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 17Downtown South 12 57% 5 24% 3 14% 0 0% 1 5% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 21Golfcourse, Manton 4 80% 1 20% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 5Hudson Bay MHP 6 86% 0 0% 1 14% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 7Main, Princess, Nadina 21 55% 6 16% 6 16% 4 11% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 1 3% 38Riverside, Victoria, SMHP 8 89% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 1 11% 0 0% 0 0% 9Schibli, AVE, Wildwood 5 42% 3 25% 3 25% 1 8% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 12Silverking 1 25% 0 0% 2 50% 1 25% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 4Watson's Landing 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0Willowvale, Park Place, Ambleside 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0Not recognized 1 17% 3 50% 2 33% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 6

Pellet stove

Wood furnace

Fireplace insert

Pellet furnace

Outdoor wood boiler

Don't know

Number of responses

8.4 Question 4 – Emissions certificationQuestion 4 reads: “Does your wood burning appliance have EPA or CSA emissions certification?”

Figures 9 and 10 show that most respondents report their appliances are emissions-certified, but also that nearly third of all respondents are unaware of the certification status – which indicates an opportunity for further public education in this area.

Yes 107 (60%)

No 21 (12%)

Don't Know 49 (28%)

Incidence of Emissions Certification

reported by residences using wood-burning appliances

Figure 9: Overall incidence of emissions certification reported among all respondents.

The distribution of reported certification status differs among the various reporting areas.

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Bulkley, Morice

Columbia, Queen

Down-town North

Down-town South

Golf-course, Manton

Hudson Bay MHP






Overall

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

76%

49%59%

75%60%

71%54%

63%50%

100%

60%

19%

32%

35%15% 40%

35% 25%42% 28%

5%20%

6% 10%29%

11% 13% 8% 12%

Relative Incidence of Emissions Certificationreported by residences using wood-burning appliances

No Don't Know Yes

Figure 10: Relative incidence of reported emissions certification among various neighbourhoods.

The following table gives a numeric representation of the same data.

Table 6: Reported certification status by reporting area.

Yes No Don't Know Total

Overall 107 60% 21 12% 49 28% 177Bulkley, Morice 16 76% 1 5% 4 19% 21Columbia, Queen 20 49% 8 20% 13 32% 41Downtown North 10 59% 1 6% 6 35% 17Downtown South 15 75% 2 10% 3 15% 20Golfcourse, Manton 3 60% 0 0% 2 40% 5Hudson Bay MHP 5 71% 2 29% 0 0% 7Main, Princess, Nadina 20 54% 4 11% 13 35% 37Riverside, Victoria, SMHP 5 63% 1 13% 2 25% 8Schibli, AVE, Wildwood 6 50% 1 8% 5 42% 12Silverking 4 100% 0 0% 0 0% 4Watson's Landing 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0

0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0Not recognized 3 60% 1 20% 1 20% 5


8.5 Question 5 – Age of appliancesQuestion 5 reads: “How old is your wood burning appliance?”

Figure 11 shows that roughly half of respondents indicate that their appliances are between two and ten years old.

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14 (8%)

40 (22%)

50 (28%)

17 (9%)

10 (6%)

28 (15%)

22 (12%)

Reported Age of Wood-Burning Appliances

Less than 2 years

2 - 5 years

5 - 10 years

10 - 15 years

15 - 22 years

Over 22 years

Don’t know

Figure 11: Age of appliances.

Figure 12 shows that the distribution of the reported age of appliances differs widely among the variousreporting areas.

Bulkley, Morice

Columbia, Queen

Down-town North

Down-town South

Golf-course, Manton

Hudson Bay MHP


River-side, Vic-toria, SMHP




Overall

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Relative Abundance of Reported Age of Wood Burning Appliances

Less than 2 years 2 - 5 years 5 - 10 years 10 - 15 years

15 - 22 years Over 22 years Don’t know

Figure 12: Age of appliances by reporting area.

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Table 7: Reported age of appliances.Total

Overall 14 8% 40 22% 50 28% 17 9% 10 6% 28 15% 22 12% 181Bulkley, Morice 3 14% 5 24% 5 24% 4 19% 1 5% 0 0% 3 14% 21Columbia, Queen 2 5% 9 22% 7 17% 1 2% 3 7% 12 29% 7 17% 41Downtown North 0 0% 2 12% 5 29% 2 12% 2 12% 2 12% 4 24% 17Downtown South 3 14% 7 33% 3 14% 2 10% 1 5% 3 14% 2 10% 21Golfcourse, Manton 2 33% 0 0% 1 17% 1 17% 0 0% 1 17% 1 17% 6Hudson Bay MHP 1 14% 3 43% 3 43% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 7Main, Princess, Nadina 2 5% 7 18% 14 37% 5 13% 1 3% 5 13% 4 11% 38Riverside, Victoria, SMHP 0 0% 0 0% 6 75% 1 13% 0 0% 1 13% 0 0% 8Schibli, AVE, Wildwood 0 0% 3 25% 5 42% 1 8% 1 8% 2 17% 0 0% 12Silverking 1 25% 1 25% 1 25% 0 0% 1 25% 0 0% 0 0% 4Watson's Landing 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0Willowvale, Park Place, Ambleside 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0Not recognized 0 3 0 0 0 2 1 6

Less than 2 years

2 - 5 years

5 - 10 years

10 - 15 years

15 - 22 years

Over 22 years

Don’t know

8.6 Question 6 – Consumption of wood fuelQuestion 6 reads: “Approximately how much wood do you burn each year?”

Figure 13 shows that the distribution of reported cordwood consumption differs among the various reporting areas.






0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

Reported Cordwood Consumption per Residence

Don't Know 3 - 5 cords 2 - 3 cords 1 - 2 cords Less than 1 cord

Number of Residences

Figure 13: Reported cordwood consumption.

Page 20 of 49

The following chart depicts the overall number of responses in the various categories.

Less than 1 cord 1 - 2 cords 2 - 3 cords 3 - 5 cords Don't Know0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Overal Distribution of Cordwood ConsumptionN

um

be

r o

f Re

spo

nse

s

Note that the wording of this question results in bin sizes that may obscure the true shape of the distribution, which might be expected to resemble that of pellet fuel consumption, shown in Figure 16 on the next page.

The following histogram shows that primary users of wood consume larger quantities of cordwood. as expected; some probably more than 5 cords per year.

Less than 1 cord 1 - 2 cords 2 - 3 cords 3 - 5 cords Don't Know0

2

4

6

8

10

12

Reported Cordwood Consumption

among primary users of wood heat

Nu

mb

er

of r

esp

on

ses

Figure 14: Cordwood consumption among primary wood heat users.

Page 21 of 49


Table 8: Cordwood consumption.

1 - 2 cords 2 - 3 cords 3 - 5 cords Don't Know Total

Overall 57 40% 39 28% 24 17% 16 11% 5 4% 141Bulkley, Morice 2 13% 9 56% 3 19% 2 13% 0 0% 16Columbia, Queen 19 53% 9 25% 6 17% 1 3% 1 3% 36Downtown North 4 33% 3 25% 0 0% 3 25% 2 17% 12Downtown South 4 24% 8 47% 1 6% 2 12% 2 12% 17Golfcourse, Manton 3 60% 0 0% 0 0% 2 40% 0 0% 5Hudson Bay MHP 2 29% 1 14% 3 43% 1 14% 0 0% 7Main, Princess, Nadina 16 59% 4 15% 4 15% 3 11% 0 0% 27Riverside, Victoria, SMHP 1 13% 2 25% 5 63% 0 0% 0 0% 8Schibli, AVE, Wildwood 4 57% 1 14% 2 29% 0 0% 0 0% 7Silverking 0 0% 1 50% 0 0% 1 50% 0 0% 2Watson's Landing 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0Willowvale, Park Place, Ambleside 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0Not recognized 2 50% 1 25% 0 0% 1 25% 0 0% 4

Less than 1 cord

The following figure shows the overall volume of cordwood consumed by respondents in the various areas, assuming values of 0.5, 1.5, 2.5 and 4 cords for the less than one, 1-2, 2-3, and 3-5 cord categories respectively.

Bulkley, Morice

Columbia, Queen

Downtown North

Downtown South

Golfcourse, Manton

Hudson Bay MHP




Silverking

Watson's Landing


0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45

Approximate Reported Cordwood ConsumptionCords per Year

Figure 15: Approximate total cordwood consumption among survey respondents.

The following histogram depicts the frequency of various responses pertaining to the use of pellet fuel.

Page 22 of 49

50 100 150 200 250 300 3500

2

4

6

8

10

12

Consumption of Pellet Fuel

Equivalent Bags per Year

Nu

mb

er

of O

curr

en

ces

Figure 16: Distribution of yearly pellet fuel consumption.

Page 23 of 49

The following table presents all of the freeform responses to question 6, from which the preceding chart is derived.

Table 9: Freeform responses pertaining to fuel consumption (Question 6).

Responseless than 50 (30-40) bagshalf a truckloadfew bundles0.5 logging truck8 pickup truck loads6 truckloads6 pickup loads4 truckloads3 truckloads1.5 truckloads1-2 truckloads1 pickup truck2 pallets 1002 pallets 1002 pallets 1002 pallets 1001.5 pallets of pellets 75300 bags 300150-200 bags 175150 bags 150130 bags 130200 bags 20080 bags 8080 bags 8060 bags 6050 bags tons 5050 bags 5050 bags 5026 bags 2610 bags 105 tonnes per year 2502-3 tonnes 1252 tonnes pellets 1001.5 tonnes 751/2 tonne pellets, 1 cord wood 251 bag/wk1 bag per dayway less than a bundle

not muchnone (small amount in winter)next to none

Equivalent bags per year (assuming ~50 bags per pallet or tonne)

Once a year. When the power is out for extended periods. We actually have an electric fireplace in front of the existing one on the hearth.

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8.7 Question 7 – Seasoning of cordwoodQuestion 7 reads: “For how long do you season your firewood before burning it?”

Figures 17 and 18 show that most respondents report that they season their cordwood for more than oneyear.

14 (9%)

5 (3%)

19 (13%)

7 (5%)

87 (58%)

18 (12%)

Reported Duration of SeasoningDon’t season 1 - 3 months3 - 6 months 6 - 9 monthsMore than 1 year Don't Know

Figure 17: Reported duration of seasoning.

Bulkley, Morice

Columbia, Queen

Downtown North

Downtown South

Golfcourse, Manton

Hudson Bay MHP




Silverking

Watson's Landing


0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

Reported Duration of Seasoning

Don't Know More than 1 year 6 - 9 months 3 - 6 months 1 - 3 months Don’t season

Number of Residences

Figure 18: Reported duration of seasoning.

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Table 10: Reported duration of seasoning.

Total

Overall 14 9% 5 3% 19 13% 7 5% 87 58% 18 12% 150Bulkley, Morice 2 12% 1 6% 3 18% 0 0% 10 59% 1 6% 17Columbia, Queen 3 8% 1 3% 6 16% 1 3% 20 53% 7 18% 38Downtown North 1 7% 0 0% 0 0% 1 7% 11 73% 2 13% 15Downtown South 1 6% 0 0% 7 39% 2 11% 7 39% 1 6% 18Golfcourse, Manton 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 2 67% 1 33% 3Hudson Bay MHP 0 0% 0 0% 1 20% 0 0% 3 60% 1 20% 5Main, Princess, Nadina 4 13% 2 6% 1 3% 2 6% 18 58% 4 13% 31Riverside, Victoria, SMHP 2 25% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 5 63% 1 13% 8Schibli, AVE, Wildwood 1 13% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 7 88% 0 0% 8Silverking 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 1 33% 2 67% 0 0% 3Watson's Landing 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0Willowvale, Park Place, Ambleside 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0Not recognized 0 1 1 0 2 0 4

Don’t season

1 - 3 months

3 - 6 months

6 - 9 months

More than 1 year

Don't Know

Anecdotally, canvassers reported that several respondents indicated they purchase their cordwood in already-cut or already-split form, or that they cut “dry standing pine;” with the implication being that they believe the wood is adequately seasoned.

8.8 Question 8 – Awareness of the Woodstove Exchange Program

Question 8 reads: “Are you aware of the provincial woodstove exchange program, which provides a free grant of $250 if you replace your current stove with an emissions-certified model, pellet appliance or gas appliance?”

Nearly half of respondents report that they are aware of the provincial woodstove exchange program. Asmall fraction reported that they had participated in the program. Figure 19, on the following page, shows that there is little difference between responses from residences that do and do not use wood heat. Figure 20 shows some variation between reporting areas, which may correlate with the incidence of wood burning in those neighbourhoods.

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280 (40%)

412 (59%)

11 (2%)

212

321

6

68

91

5

Reported Awareness of Provincial Woodstove Exchange Program

Outer ring: All respondents. Middle ring: Residences without wood heat.

Inner ring: Residences with wood heat.

Aware Not aware Aware, and have participated

Figure 19: Overall reported awareness of the provincial woodstove exchange program.

Bulkley, Morice

Columbia, Queen

Downtown North

Downtown South

Golfcourse, Manton

Hudson Bay MHP




Silverking


0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Reported Awareness of Wood Stove Exchange ProgramNot aware Aware, and have participated Aware

Figure 20: Awareness of the provincial woodstove exchange program by reporting area.

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Table 11: Reported awareness of woodstove exchange program.

Aware Not aware

Overall 280 40% 412 59% 11 2% 703Bulkley, Morice 18 28% 45 70% 1 2% 64Columbia, Queen 56 47% 60 50% 3 3% 119Downtown North 35 41% 51 59% 0 0% 86Downtown South 22 34% 41 64% 1 2% 64Golfcourse, Manton 2 40% 3 60% 0 0% 5Hudson Bay MHP 5 31% 11 69% 0 0% 16Main, Princess, Nadina 68 50% 67 49% 2 1% 137Riverside, Victoria, SMHP 6 33% 10 56% 2 11% 18Schibli, AVE, Wildwood 28 37% 47 63% 0 0% 75Silverking 26 39% 39 59% 1 2% 66Willowvale, Park Place, Ambleside 8 21% 30 77% 1 3% 39Not Recognized 6 8 0 14

Aware, and have participated

Number of Responses

Note that during the pilot test in the Watson’s Landing and Golfcourse-Manton neighbourhoods, only residences with wood-burning appliances were asked this question. Therefore, there are fewer or no responses to this question in those neighbourhoods.

8.9 Question 9 – Air quality in SmithersQuestion 9 reads: “Which of the following statements best describes how you feel about air quality in Smithers? "The air quality in Smithers is...”

Figure 21 shows that roughly two out of three respondents reported that air quality was practically always good, or mostly good but poor on occasion.

214 (29%)

316 (42%)

117 (16%)

61 (8%)32 (4%)

Perception of Air Quality"The air quality in Smithers is...“

Practically always good

Mostly good, but poor on occasion

Equally likely to be poor or good

Mostly poor, but occasionally good

Practically always poor

Don't know

Figure 21: Air quality in Smithers.

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Figure 22 shows that there is moderate variation in the distribution of responses among the various reporting areas.

Bulkley, Morice

Columbia, Queen

Downtown Northwest

Downtown South

Hudson Bay MHP




Silverking


0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Perception of Air Quality

"The air quality in Smithers is...“

Don't know Practically always poor

Mostly poor, but occasionally good Equally likely to be poor or good

Mostly good, but poor on occasion Practically always good

Figure 22: Perception of air quality by reporting area.


Table 12: Perception of air quality. "The air quality in Smithers is..."

Overall 214 29% 316 42% 117 16% 61 8% 32 4% 7 1% 747Bulkley, Morice 19 30% 32 50% 5 8% 2 3% 5 8% 1 2% 64Columbia, Queen 36 30% 45 38% 19 16% 14 12% 5 4% 1 1% 120Downtown North 25 29% 33 38% 21 24% 6 7% 1 1% 0 0% 86Downtown South 33 41% 22 28% 17 21% 4 5% 4 5% 0 0% 80Hudson Bay MHP 10 30% 12 36% 8 24% 2 6% 1 3% 0 0% 33Main, Princess, Nadina 34 24% 60 43% 22 16% 16 11% 8 6% 0 0% 140Riverside, Victoria, SMHP 8 33% 10 42% 1 4% 3 13% 2 8% 0 0% 24Schibli, AVE, Wildwood 23 29% 39 50% 10 13% 3 4% 1 1% 2 3% 78Silverking 14 20% 37 54% 8 12% 6 9% 1 1% 3 4% 69Willowvale, Park Place, Ambleside 10 26% 18 46% 5 13% 3 8% 3 8% 0 0% 39Not recognized 2 14% 8 57% 1 7% 2 14% 1 7% 0 0% 14

Practically always good

Mostly good, but poor on occasion

Equally likely to be poor or good

Mostly poor, but occasionally

good

Practically always poor

Don't know

Number of Responses

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8.10 Question 10 – Smoke from wood-burning appliancesQuestion 10 reads: “To what extent does smoke from wood-burning appliances affect air quality in your neighbourhood specifically?”

Roughly two out of three respondents reported that wood smoke affects air quality in their neighborhood to a small extent or not at all. Figure 23 and Table 13 show that the distribution of responses differs somewhat between respondents who do and do not use wood heat.

82 (11%)

151 (20%)

203 (27%)

298 (39%)

30 (4%)

Effect of Wood Smoke:"To what extent does smoke from wood-burning appliances

affect air quality in your neighbourhood specifically?"



Large extent Moderate extent Small extent

Not at all Don't know

Figure 23: Reported effect of wood smoke.

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Table 13: “To what extent does smoke from wood-burning appliances affect air quality in your

neighbourhood specifically?”

Overall

Large extent 82 14 68Moderate exten 151 32 119Small extent 203 46 157Not at all 298 72 226Don't know 30 5 25

With wood heat

Without wood heat







0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Reported Effect of Wood Smoke

"To what extent does smoke from wood-burning appliances affect air quality in your neighbourhood specifically?"

Large extent Moderate extent Small extent Not at all Don't know

Figure 24: Effect of wood smoke by reporting area.

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Table 14: "To what extent does smoke from wood-burning appliances affect air quality in yourneighbourhood specifically?"


Overall 78 10% 143 19% 201 27% 298 40% 26 3% 746Bulkley, Morice 8 13% 10 16% 18 28% 27 42% 1 2% 64Columbia, Queen 10 8% 26 22% 26 22% 52 43% 6 5% 120Downtown North 16 18% 16 18% 19 22% 35 40% 1 1% 87Downtown South 4 5% 20 25% 19 24% 33 42% 3 4% 79Golfcourse, Manton 2 17% 6 50% 1 8% 0 0% 3 25% 12Hudson Bay MHP 5 16% 5 16% 9 28% 12 38% 1 3% 32Main, Princess, Nadina 17 12% 33 24% 44 32% 42 30% 3 2% 139Riverside, Victoria, SMHP 2 8% 7 29% 8 33% 6 25% 1 4% 24Schibli, AVE, Wildwood 4 5% 9 12% 20 26% 40 52% 4 5% 77Silverking 9 13% 10 14% 23 33% 24 35% 3 4% 69Watson's Landing 2 33% 2 33% 1 17% 0 0% 1 17% 6Willowvale, Park Place, Ambleside 1 3% 3 8% 11 28% 23 59% 1 3% 39Not Recognized 2 13% 4 25% 4 25% 4 25% 2 13% 16

Large extent

Moderate extent

Small extent

Number of Responses

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8.11 Question 11 – Other sources of air pollutionQuestion 11 reads: “To what extent do other sources of air pollution in Smithers and the surrounding area affect air quality in your neighbourhood specifically?”

Roughly two out of three respondents reported that other sources of air pollution affected air quality in their neighborhood to a small small extent or not at all. Figure 25 and Table 15 (on the following page) show that the distribution of responses differs slightly between respondents who do and do not use wood heat.

76 (10%)

183 (25%)

207 (28%)

230 (31%)

42 (6%)

Other Sources: "To what extent do other sources of air pollution in Smithers

and the surrounding area affect air quality in your neighbourhood specifically?"



Large extent Moderate extent Small extent


Figure 25: Other sources of air pollution.

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Table 15: To what extent do other sources of air pollution in Smithers and thesurrounding area affect air quality in your neighbourhood specifically?

Overall

Large extent 76 20 56Moderate extent 183 38 145Small extent 207 44 163Not at all 230 54 176Don't know 42 5 37

With wood heat

Without wood heat


Bulkley, Morice

Columbia, Queen

Downtown Northwest

Downtown South

Golf-course, Manton

Hudson Bay MHP






0%20%40%60%80%

100%

Other Sources: "To what extent do other sources of air pollution in Smithers

and the surrounding area affect air quality in your neighbourhood specifically?"

Large extent Moderate extent Small extent Not at all Don't know

Figure 26: Other sources of air pollution.

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Table 16: “To what extent do other sources of air pollution in Smithers and the surrounding area affectair quality in your neighbourhood specifically?”

Not at all

Overall 76 10% 183 25% 207 28% 230 31% 42 6% 738Bulkley, Morice 7 11% 13 21% 16 26% 23 37% 3 5% 62Columbia, Queen 19 16% 30 25% 27 23% 37 31% 6 5% 119Downtown North 7 8% 27 31% 20 23% 30 34% 3 3% 87Downtown South 12 15% 18 23% 22 28% 24 30% 3 4% 79Hudson Bay MHP 0 0% 3 10% 10 32% 15 48% 3 10% 31Main, Princess, Nadina 14 10% 41 30% 42 30% 36 26% 5 4% 138Riverside, Victoria, SMHP 2 8% 4 17% 9 38% 8 33% 1 4% 24Schibli, AVE, Wildwood 6 8% 13 17% 24 32% 28 37% 5 7% 76Silverking 5 7% 13 19% 24 35% 15 22% 11 16% 68Willowvale, Park Place, Ambleside 2 5% 13 33% 12 31% 12 31% 0 0% 39Not recognized 2 13% 8 53% 1 7% 2 13% 2 13% 15

Large extent

Moderate extent

Small extent

Don't know

Number of responses

8.11.1 Free-form responses

There were 304 responses to the free-form question “Can you identify other source(s) of air pollution that affect air quality in the community?” The following chart presents the most frequently occurring one- or two-word phrases.

Mill or mills or PIRDust or road dust

Panel board or particle board or NewProCar(s) or vehicle(s)

Industry or plantPollen

Train or trains or CNForest fires

Slash or brush burningDiesel trucks or vehicles

Burning (other or unspecified)Pellet

Houston

0 20 40 60 80 100 120

Other Sources of Air Pollution(Ocurring more than ten times in freeform responses.)

Number of ocurrences

Figure 27: Frequency of one- or two-word phrases in free-from responses related to other sources ofair pollution.

A transcribed list of all free-form responses to this question is included in Appendix B.

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9 DiscussionThe apparent incidence of residential wood burning as suggested by this survey broadly agrees with the

results of a provincial survey performed by Mustel Group in the year 2012 [3]. The bracket for the

overall incidence of wood-burning for the Town of Smithers (which is somewhere between 20% to 40%, derived from voluntary responses and chimney counts) encompasses the value obtained (of roughly 35%, obtained by the telephone-based) from the provincial survey in the west coast and northern regions [3, pg 9].

The incidence of emissions certification differs somewhat from that obtained by the same survey. Table17 shows that more respondents in Smithers report that their appliance holds an emissions certification than the provincial value.

Table 17: Comparison of reported emissions certification.

Town of Smithers Provincial Survey[3, pg 13]

Yes 60% 40%

No 12% 34%

Don’t Know 28% 26%

The distribution of public opinion related to air quality in Smithers appears to conflict with measurements conducted over the past several years by the provincial government. Recent reports published by the BC Lung Association cite government data that show Smithers, Telkwa, Houston, and Vanderhoof all rank high among the communities with the greatest average levels of airborne particulates [1] [2]. The BC Ministry of Environment publishes objectives for maximum allowable ambient airborne particulate levels, and yearly average levels within all of these communities have exceeded the objective in at least one of the past two years. However, the results from the survey indicate that two out of three people in Smithers think that air quality is “always good” or “mostly good” (see Figure 21 on page 28). Therefore, it may variously be the case that individuals within the public are unaware of the severity of the problem, they hold a different definition of what constitutes “good” air quality, or they are purposefully misrepresenting their opinion in order to influence the results and outcomes of the survey (see the discussion of sources of error on page 37).

The distribution of public opinion as to the identity of other significant sources of air pollution in Smithers differs from estimates of the extent to which those sources are responsible for measured particulate emissions. For context, the BVLD Airshed Management Society’s Clean Air Plan [4] divides sources of air pollution into the categories of:

• forest industry open burning (slash burning),• other industrial sources,• wood-burning appliances,• backyard burning,• road dust, and• vehicle emissions.

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Figure 27 (on page 35) shows that sources of emissions in the category of industry dominate the distribution of free-form responses. Road dust and other transportation-related sources are the next most-frequently mentioned source, and slash burning is mentioned relatively infrequently. However, estimates of source apportionment of particulate emissions in the Bulkley Valley suggest that industry, major slash burning, and road dust are responsible for particulate pollution in roughly equal amounts, with residential sources and minor industrial open burning responsible for the remainder [4, pg 58-59]. Therefore, the discrepancy between the distribution of responses and estimates of source apportionmentmay be due to many members of the public preferentially weighting the severity of industrial emissionsover other sources. Or, respondents may be interpreting the question to encompass more than just particulate emissions; such as carbon dioxide emissions from vehicles, for example.

9.1 Experimental Bias and Sources of ErrorAs a voluntary survey, the results are subject to bias arising from individual tendencies toward transparency or privacy, and truth or falsehood. The resulting differences in responsiveness and accuracy may (or may not) be correlated with wood-burning appliance use, or perceptions of air quality, or any of the other characteristics measured by the survey. Canvassers described a certain fraction of respondents as variously “cagey” or “impassioned,” and that they perceived some responses to be “political,” “strategic,” or outright false. In particular, canvassing personnel reported that many respondents stated that the association of the survey with the Town of Smithers indicated the existence of an incipient plan to ban wood-burning altogether.

In-person canvassing comes with drawbacks that affect responsiveness. Canvassing staff reported that some respondents were displeased with the hour and occasion of canvassing altogether. By coincidence, canvassing took place in a small number of occasions shortly after door-to-door visits by other organizations, which canvassing staff reported to negatively affect responsiveness. Other respondents expressed frustration with the recent national census, as well as a recent real or imagined door-to-door survey on wood stoves within the past year. However, the overall response rate of roughly70% indicates the survey was more tolerable than not to most people.

Other sources of error are more prosaic:

• Optical Mark Recognition: Occasionally, the optical mark recognition software is unable to

interpret the barcode due to damaged questionnaires. Some tables in this report therefore include a “not recognized” row that indicates the number of questionnaires in which optical mark recognition failed to interpret the collection area barcode. The magnitude of these values gives a sense of the positive margin of error implicit in each of the other rows in the same table.

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• Question 1 (use of wood heat in the home): Canvassers reported that a small number of

respondents insisted on interpreting question 1 literally, and did not provide a response if they burned wood not as a source of heat but did so recreationally, spiritually, ironically, etc. Appliances in residences such as these are still of interest, however, as they constitute a potential future source of emissions if used by a subsequent owner. Canvassers were therefore instructed to re-word Question 1 in-person to the effect of “do you currently have a wood-burning appliance in your home,” but the ocurrence of wood burning may still have gone unreported in a small number of cases.

• Question 4, on the awareness of the woodstove exchange program, was not included for non-

wood users in the pilot test, which took place in the Watson’s Landing and the Golfcourse-Manton reporting areas; therefore, the overall results may not reflect the awareness of these neighbourhoods.

9.2 Recommendations for further work Some recommendations for further work arise from the results of this survey:

• Calculate the statistical error due to the effect of chance in sampling. Estimate the experimental

error due to the canvassing methodology.

• Compare the responses to questions concerning the perception of air quality to the local

measurements gathered by the University of British Columbia in a 2007-2008 study of ambient particulate concentration [5].

• Examine the correlations between responsiveness, reported wood-burning appliance use, and

chimney density (where applicable).

• Examine the correlation between responsiveness and perception of air quality.

• Examine the correlation between the age & type of appliance and yearly wood fuel

consumption.

• Future surveys might benefit from re-wording question 1 to mention wood-burning appliances

instead of wood heating.

• Future surveys might avoid bias due to the public suspicion discussed Section 9.1 by shifting

the focus from wood heating specifically to home heating in general.

• Future surveys might also benefit from re-wording question 6 to provide for greater granularity

in determining the yearly consumption of cordwood. As it stands, there is nothing to separate near-zero amounts from amounts up to one cord.

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10 ConclusionsThis survey collected data on the number and characteristics of wood-burning appliances within the town of Smithers. It also collected data on the public perception of air quality in general. Canvassers reached roughly forty percent of targeted residences during first-round canvassing, three quarters of which agreed to participate in the survey.

The reported incidence of residential wood burning is roughly the same as that established by at least one similar survey for this region of the province. Approximately 20% of the residences reported using wood-burning appliances of some kind. Based on observations of chimneys and woodpiles, possibly upto 40% of residences host active appliances. Both values are subject to statistical and experimental error that is not quantified in this report.

Woodstoves constitute the majority among the various types of wood-burning appliances reported to bein use at roughly 60%, with fireplaces and pellet stoves roughly matched for second and third ranking at 20% and 15% respectively. Roughly half of respondents indicate that their appliances are between two and ten years old, and most respondents report their appliances are emissions-certified (60%). However, with 30% of respondents reporting that they do not know the certification status, the fraction of uncertified appliances may be as high as 40%. Slightly less than half of all respondents report being aware of the provincial woodstove exchange program, and only a small fraction overall have participated so far.

Most wood stove users report burning a quantity of cordwood that is consistent with use as a secondaryheat source. Slightly more than half of total respondents report burning less than two cords of wood fuel per year, and slightly less than half report burning between two and five cords per year. More than half of all respondents report seasoning their cordwood for more than a year. Most respondents using pellet fuel report burning between 50 and 100 bags per year.

Public opinion on the severity of air pollution appears to stand in contrast to published measurements. Most respondents did not report that they considered air quality to be a serious problem: More than 70% of respondents report that air quality in Smithers is practically always good or mostly good; 4% report that air quality is practically always poor. Also, 66% of respondents report that smoke affects them to a small extent or not at all or; 11% report that smoke affects them to a large extent. Finally, almost 60% of respondents reported that sources other than wood smoke affect air quality to a small extent or not at all, 10% reported that it affects them to a large extent. The list of other sources offered by respondents is dominated by industrial sources and transportation. Forest fires and slash burning are unexpectedly less frequent.

Overall, the survey met its goal of collecting data from which the characteristics of wood burning in theTown of Smithers may be estimated with confidence. The results presented here and others yet to be derived may be used as the basis for making informed decisions in the future.

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11 Acknowledgements, Disclaimer, and ColophonThe author acknowledges the patience of the various individuals and organizations who hold a stake in this project: Mark Allen at the Town of Smithers, Ben Weinstein and Markus Kellerhals at the BC Ministry of Environment, and the entire Council of the Town of Smithers.

The author also acknowledges the assistance and support of the various community members who provided expertise, advice, and encouragement throughout the way, including Gina LaHaye, Dave Stevens, Sue Brookes, and Alan Campbell.

Finally, the author gratefully acknowledges the labours and hardships of the canvassing personnel, and thanks the people of the Town of Smithers for their participation and cooperation.

This report was prepared by Jesse Hiemstra & Co. It has been reviewed by staff of the BC Ministry of Environment and the Town of Smithers. In addition, staff from both agencies collaborated in designing the survey. However, the conclusions and recommendations expressed herein represent the views of theconsultant author and these views may or may not be supported by the Ministry of Environment and/or the Town of the Smithers.

Both this report and the survey itself were produced and implemented using only open-source and free software. Questionnaire creation and post-processing were performed using Scripts for Data Acquisition with Paper-based Surveys (sdaps.org).

Page 40 of 49

http://www.sdaps.org/

12 List of References[1] Rebecca Abernathy, Menn Biagtan, Michael Brauer, Meghan Roushorne, Sarah Henderson, Derek Jennejohn, and Natalie Suzuki. “State of the Air 2015.” BC Lung Association, 2015. https://bc.lung.ca/sites/default/files/media/State%20of%20the%20Air%20Report%202015%20-%20merged.pdf.

[2] Menn Biagtan, Michael Brauer, Sarah Henderson, Derek Jennejohn, Marina Richter, Paula Smith, and Natalie Suzuki. “State of the Air 2016.” BC Lung Association, 2016. https://bc.lung.ca/sites/default/files/media/State%20of%20the%20Air%202016%20-%20merged_1%20final.pdf.

[3] Mustel Group. “Inventory of Wood-Burning Appliance Use in British Columbia,” March 2012. http://www.bcairquality.ca/reports/pdfs/wood_burning_appliances_report.pdf.

[4] “BVLD Airshed Management Plan: A Community Action Plan for Clean Air.” Accessed September 29, 2016. http://cleanairplan.ca/cleanairplan2012.pdf.

[5] Gail Millar. “WEST 2007 – 2008 Ambient Sampling.” Accessed September 29, 2016. http://woodstove.spph.ubc.ca/sites/envhealth.drupalprod.webi.it.ubc.ca/files/uploads/woodstove/Millar_Smithers_June08_0.pdf.

Page 41 of 49

http://woodstove.spph.ubc.ca/sites/envhealth.drupalprod.webi.it.ubc.ca/files/uploads/woodstove/Millar_Smithers_June08_0.pdf

http://woodstove.spph.ubc.ca/sites/envhealth.drupalprod.webi.it.ubc.ca/files/uploads/woodstove/Millar_Smithers_June08_0.pdf

http://cleanairplan.ca/cleanairplan2012.pdf

http://www.bcairquality.ca/reports/pdfs/wood_burning_appliances_report.pdf

https://bc.lung.ca/sites/default/files/media/State%20of%20the%20Air%202016%20-%20merged_1%20final.pdf

https://bc.lung.ca/sites/default/files/media/State%20of%20the%20Air%202016%20-%20merged_1%20final.pdf

https://bc.lung.ca/sites/default/files/media/State%20of%20the%20Air%20Report%202015%20-%20merged.pdf

https://bc.lung.ca/sites/default/files/media/State%20of%20the%20Air%20Report%202015%20-%20merged.pdf

13 Appendix A – Questionnaire listing 1.Do you currently use wood as a heat source in your home?

Yes, No

2.Do you consider wood to be your home’s primary heat source?Yes, No

3.What kind of wood heating appliance do you have in your house?Woodstove, Fireplace, Pellet stove, Wood furnace, Fireplace insert, Pellet furnace, Outdoor woodboiler, Don't know

4.Does your wood burning appliance have EPA or CSA emissions certification?Yes, No, Don't know

5.How old is your wood burning appliance?Less than 2 years, 2 - 5 years, 5 - 10 years, 10 - 15 years, 15 - 22 years, Over 22 years, Don’t know

6.Approximately how much wood do you burn each year?Less than 1 cord, 1 - 2 cords, 2 - 3 cords, 3 - 5 cords, Don’t knowOther amount: Record quantity and units; e.g. bundles , truckloads, etc. If pellets: How many bags, pallets or tonnes of pellets do you use each year?

7.For how long do you season your firewood before burning it? (Does not apply to pellet appliances.)Don’t season, 1 - 3 months, 3 - 6 months, 6 - 9 months, More than 1 year, Don’t know

8.Are you aware of the provincial woodstove exchange program, which provides a free grant of $250 if you replace your current stove with an emissions-certified model, pellet appliance or gas appliance?

Yes, No, Have previously participated in the program

9.Which of the following statements best describes how you feel about air quality in Smithers? "The air quality in Smithers is...“

Practically always good Mostly good, but poor on occasionEqually likely to be poor or good Mostly poor, but occasionally goodPractically always poor Don't know

10.To what extent does smoke from wood-burning appliances affect air quality in your neighbourhood specifically?

Large extent, Moderate extent, Small extent, Not at all, Don't know

11.To what extent do other sources of air pollution in Smithers and the surrounding area affect air quality in your neighbourhood specifically?

Large extent, Moderate extent, Small extent, Not at all, Don't knowCan you identify other source(s) of air pollution that affect air quality in the community?

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14 Appendix B – Response GuideThis appendix presents the response guide provided to canvassers and accompanying drop-off questionnaires.

Completed response forms may be enclosed in the provided envelope and dropped off at the Town of Smithers Office at 1027 Aldous Street, preferably by June 30.

The purpose of this survey is to determine the number and type of wood burning appliances within the Town of Smithers, in order to focus efforts to improve air quality in the community.

The survey is completely voluntary and anonymous. The name of your broad neighbourhood is the only location information that is collected, which will facilitate future airshed modelling by the BC Ministry of Environment. Individual responses are not personally identifiable. (The barcodes on the response forms enable them to be automatically read by computer. You may convince yourself that responses are anonymous by verifying that all forms for the same neighbourhood are identical.)

For each question, place a mark in the box or boxes that corresponds to the most applicable answer. Leave the question blank if you feel that none of the answers are appropriate or the question is not applicable.

1. Do you currently use wood as heat source in your home? Indicate yes or no. If not, skip to question 8.

2. Do you consider wood to be your home’s primary heat source? Indicate yes or no. The primary heat source is the source of heat that is used most often.

3. What kind of wood heating appliance do you have in your house? Indicate the appropriate choice. If there is more than one appliance in your house, you may wish to fill out questions 4 to 7 in a separate form for each appliance. Additional forms are printable online atwww.smithers.ca and at the Town of Smithers office.

4. Does your wood burning appliance have EPA or CSA emissions certification? Indicate yes, no , or don't know. If pellet, this question does not apply.

EPA certified stoves will have a permanent label on the back with the words “U.S. Environmental Protection Agency” prominently visible. Note that emissions certification is different than safety certification, which may be from the ULC or CSA. If you are unsure of whether your stove is EPA certified, some additional information may enable you to make an informed guess:

• Nearly all EPA certified stoves and inserts have a door with a positive latch and seal, and have a glass viewing area built into the door.

• 100% of EPA stoves have some means of adjusting airflow into the stove. • Solid metal doors likely indicate a pre-EPA air tight stove. • Lack of an air control probably means that it is an uncertified EPA-exempt stove

designed to fit through a loophole in the EPA regulations.

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http://www.smithers.ca/

• Glass doors without a positive latch and air seal probably mean that it is a factory built fireplace or a pre-EPA insert.

5. How old is your wood burning appliance? Indicate the appropriate age category.

6. Approximately how much wood do you burn each year? Indicate the appropriate category. Or, indicate the amount and units directly. (For example: Bundles, truckloads, etc. For pellet appliances: Bags, pallets, tonnes, etc. )

7. For how long do you season your firewood before burning it? Indicate the appropriate category. (Does not apply to pellet appliances.)

8. Are you aware of the local woodstove exchange program? Indicate yes or no . The woodstove exchange program provides a free grant of $250 if you replace your current stove with an emissions-certified model, pellet appliance or gas appliance. More information is available at www.bcairquality.ca/topics/wood-stove-exchange-program.

9. Which of the following statements best describes how you feel about air quality in Smithers? Indicate the most accurate statement. This question applies all year.

10. To what extent does smoke from wood-burning appliances affect air quality in your neighbourhood specifically? Indicate the most accurate response. This question applies to the heating season.

11. To what extent do other sources of air pollution in Smithers and the surrounding area affect air quality in your neighbourhood specifically? This question applies all year. If you can identify other sources of air pollution that affect air quality in the community, you may indicate them in the space provided.

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http://www.bcairquality.ca/topics/wood-stove-exchange-program

15 Appendix C – Freeform ResponsesThe following is a transcribed list of all the freeform responses to question 11, “Can you identify other source(s) of air pollution that affect air quality in the community?”

all sources contribute

Are there inserts for fireplaces

backyard fires, chemical spraying of trees & lawns

bonfires

brush burning

brush burning, mill

burning

burning brush, train

bush piles

bylaw enforcement

campfires

car pollution

car pollution

car pollution

car pollution

car pollution

cars

cars

cars, cattle

cars, mills

cars, pollen

CN

CN

cotton wood trees

dandelion fluff, trees

Depending on weather conditions.Inversions trap pollutants sometimes for days at a time. Planes, trains, highway traffic, industry, heat, weather conditions all affect air quality.

diesel exhaust, grass burning nearby

diesel trucks

diesel trucks

diesel trucks

diesel trucks

diesel trucks

diesel trucks

diesel trucks on Hwy 16 and on Railway St. and Toronto St.

diesel trucks, barometer changes

diesel trucks, highway

diesel vehicle exhaust, pulp mill

dirt road (dust)

dust

dust

dust

dust

dust

dust

dust

Dust

dust

dust

dust

dust

dust

dust

dust

dust

dust

dust

dust

dust from road, pollen, exhaust from vehicles

Dust from sanding streets in winter is more of an effect on air in this town. Without my wood heat I could not afford my home. My gas costs were in excess of $4000/yr (compared to 400 in AB) and even with wood costs arenow half. No wood stove no Smithers!

dust in spring ... sweep the streets sooner

dust or fine sand mostly spring time pollen

dust, dirt, pollen, diesel trucks

dust, houston mill, woodsmoke

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dust, industrial wood burning, industry plants, inversions

dust, pollen

dust, pollen

dust, pollen

dust, sawmill, pollen

dust, wood piles, smoke in general

exhaust

exhaust from cars

Fin particulates (dust from sand gravelling in winter), industry (newpro, PIR)

fires

forest fire

forest fire

forest fire

forest fires

forest fires

forest fires

forest fires

forest fires

forest fires

forest fires

forest fires

forest fires

forest fires, mill, dope, outdoor firepits

forest fires, mills

forest fires, pellet plant

forest fires, seasonally dependent

gas

gravel roads with high traffic, e.g. gryphon way

highway particulates

highway, panel board, train

house near muheim

houston

Houston industry

houston mill, smithers mill

houston mills

houston, newpro, slash burning, neighbours

houston, vehicle idling, particle board, mill

humidity, pollen

idling

idling should be looked into

industrial emisions, dust, slash burning, vehicles

industry

industry

industry, cars

industry, cars, gas heating

industry, PIR, newpro, slash burning

industry, slash piles

Industry: PIR and NewPro mainly; dust from highway 16 etc,lumber mills and pellet plants to the east i.e. Houston.

inversions

inversions

inversions

LB paving, board plant, dust on roads

LB paving, mcdonalds fryers

little and big diesel trucks

mill

mill

mill

Mill

mill

mill

mill

mill

mill

mill

mill

mill

mill

mill

mill

mill

mill (PIR), firepits, pollen

mill dust

mill, cars

mill, cars

mill, dust

mill, dust

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mill, dust

mill, forest fires

mill, forest fires

mill, highway, cement plant

mill, newpro

mill, newpro, dust, Houston mill

mill, panel board

mill, pellet plant, diesel

mill, plywood

mill, railway, woodsmoke

mill, road dust

mill, road dust

mill, traffic

mill, traffic, car exhaust, noise pollution, old diesels

mill, trains

mill, trains

mill, vehicles

mill, wildfire

mill, wood heat

Mills

mills

Mills

mills

mills

mills

mills

mills

mills

mills

mills

mills

mills

mills

mills

mills, backyard

mills, car pollution

mills, cars

mills, cars

mills, cars

mills, exhaust, CN

mills, people burning carelessly, slash piles, cars

mills, residential, pollen, natural gas

mills, slash burning

mills, smoke from somewhere, garbage, getting worse

mills, spring burning

mills, stoves, panel board, dust

mills, vehicles

mills, wildfires

mostly mills, industries at 99%

motor vehicles

N/A

need to water the roads more often or calcium chloride dust control

neighbours, dust, wood burning

newpro

newpro

newpro

newpro

newpro

newpro

newpro

newpro

newpro

newpro

newpro, CN

newpro, mill

newpro, mill, cars/trucks, dust

newpro, PIR

newpro, PIR sawmill, train, 1: woodstoves, 2: slashburning, 3: dust on roads

newpro, pollen

newpro, railway, vehicles

newpro, road dust, pellet in Houston

none

none

older vehicles

Only time I notice air quality issues is whn there is forest fire smoke in the valley.

open burn, diesel

other burning

panel board

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panel board

panel board

panel board

panel board

panel board, slash piles, road dust,CN, cigarettes

panelboard, mill, houston

particulates

particulates from mills

paving, newpro, highway dust, CN, PIR traffic

pellet mill

pellet mill

pellet mill, CN

pellet mill, PIR, railway

pellet plant

pellet plant, automobile traffic. Perhaps a no-idling campaign would help. In Europe, many motorists even turn off engines at traffic lights.

people allowed to burn leaves etc in their backyard, take to town compost!!

pile burning

PIR, newpro, truck traffic, rolling coal

PIR, the pellet plant, slash burning too close to town, and forest fires.

planes, trucks

plastic burning

PM10

PNG charges too much

pollen

pollen

pollen

pollen, newpro, sawmill, inversions

pollen, train

pollen, weather

pot

pot smokers

pulp sawdust

residential burning, dust, asphalt plant

rez rockets, mills

road dust

road dust

road dust

Road dust is my biggest health concern, especially in spring. Pollen and cotton wood fluff is excessive. The large amount of big trucks, commercial, in my neighbourhood run for long amounts of time causing exhaust pollution. Poorly maintained gas lawn mowers too!

road dust, crack-fill sand

road dust, mill, cars

road dust, pollen

road dust, wild fires

rural areas wood burning

rural woodstoves, brushfires, pellet plant

sanding material, no high fine dirt

sawdust, mills

sawmill

schoolbusses

slash burn

slash burning

slash burning

slash burning in winter, forest fires in summer, newpro, mill emissions

slash burning, dump burn-off, diesel idle and warm-up

slash burning, houston, industry

smoke from sawmill and particle board plant, wood burning, slash, railroad ties by CN - toxic

smokers, air conditioning

smokers, pot smoke

street dust in the springtime

street sweeping

the spring dust is always really bad and lasts way too long

train

train, mill

train, sanding

trains

truck pollution

valley funnel

vehicle

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vehicle

vehicle emissions, open burning, trains

vehicles

vehicles

vehicles

vehicles

vehicles, CN

vehicles, mills, weather

vehicles, pollen, wood smoke

vehicles, rolling coal

weed smokers

wildfires

wood burning, firepit

Wood mills are upwind of town. During periods of strong temperature inversions emissions from mills are directed into town. Dust in the spring in a significant contributor to air quality in town. Pickup trucks with modified exhausts are also a significant contributor to air quality issues (and noise). I can not tell you howmany times that I've been blasted by black exhaust fumes at a crosswalk in town. I wish the RCMP would crack down.

wood pile burning, idling, cars, newpro

wood stoves

wood stoves

wood stoves, pollen, forest fires

wool particles

natural gas

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