To the Editor:
2020 will be a year full of happy celebration of the Town’s 375th year, and the Manchester 375th Celebration Committee has been working hard on plans for many wonderful events. I do have some concerns about the planned Christmas Tree Bonfire scheduled for January 12, just north of Route 128 on the Manchester Athletic Club property.
As the police and fire departments have approved of this, they must feel that there is no danger from fire in the surrounding woodlands — and that the parking situation for such a popular event can be handled safely. However, in this time of heightened awareness of climate change and air quality, I wonder about the amount of carbon dioxide that will be released into the atmosphere from burning such a huge pile of all of Manchester’s Christmas trees. If the trees are composted, much of the carbon would be sequestered in the soil that is produced. Perhaps we should be setting a good example. There will be a lot of smoke containing fine particulate matter too — not good for the lungs — but as winter air quality is usually good here, we can hope that the impact of that will be small.
Everyone loves watching a bonfire and it sounds like fun, so I don’t want to be a spoilsport. I am just suggesting that the readers think about this issue, and if you have questions or concerns, to express them.
Francie Caudill
Manchester-by-the-Sea
