I have lived in rural areas near Arlington for over 18 years, on three different properties ranging in size from half an acre to two and a half acres. Unlike the many people who oppose the proposed ban on outdoor burning, my experiences lead me to support it. In the past few years I have: been awakened early on a Saturday morning with my eyes burning from a neighbor's smoke pervading my home; gone days on end when I couldn't do yard work or enjoy my swimming pool because my yard was filled from morning to night with thick smoke; worried that I'd never get the smell of smoke out of my curtains and furniture, and had to call the fire department and use my garden hose to battle a blaze that erupted in trees bordering my property because a neighbor's burn pile spread when he was not at home.

Neither smoke nor out-of-control fire stays on your two acres or your five acres. I've noticed that people always carefully situate their piles so that the wind does not blow smoke into their homes. The neighbors don't get the same consideration. Anyone with acreage has no need to burn every branch that falls in a wind storm, nor to cart it to a composting facility. Mother nature decomposes fallen material to build new soil. Fallen branches and even small logs can be left where they are to give a very pleasant natural look as they become covered with moss and gradually decompose.

What we should ask for is yard waste pick-up, which city residents now enjoy. If people have large fallen trees they want removed, perhaps there could be tax-supported pick-up so homeowners don't have to haul the logs away. But let's put an end to the smoke-filled skies of summer and practice safer and healthier ways to maintain our property.