Moisture disclosures now required in firewood purchases in Fairbanks

Fairbanks and North Pole residents buying firewood from a commercial wood cutter should receive a notice stating the wood's moisture content.

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports Cindy Heil, of the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, says it is a new state regulation, beginning Wednesday, aimed at steering people away from burning wet wood.

Wood sellers also are required to register with the state if they do business in the smoke pollution nonattainment area, covering the most populated portions of the borough.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency triggered the new regulations when it changed the borough nonattainment area's classification from "moderate" to "serious" for smoke pollution.

Fairbanks and North Pole areas have excessively high levels of episodic particulate pollution, which has been shown in scientific studies to make people sick.