The term “grubbing” doesn’t have a particularly appealing ring to it.
During the November meeting of the Highlands Board of Commissioners, the board voted to keep grubbing out of town.
Grubbing, the process of piling up and then burning downed trees, brush, stumps and other hard to get rid of waste after clearing property, has become a hot topic for towns across Western North Carolina and North Georgia in recent years as development has ramped up.
Highlands Mayor Patrick Taylor asked the board to consider banning the practice, citing the environmental impacts and potential for large fires to get out of control near existing structures.
In October, the board discussed banning grubbing, or banning burning all together, within town limits. Town planner Michael Mathis brought back two draft proposals in November for the board to review and potentially approve.
“What we have before you are two proposals, one simply bans all outdoor burning in Highlands town limits and the second allows for some burning, but does ban grubbing and large-scale burning for lot-clearing purposes,” Mathis said. “We have reviewed both of these and we feel like they are both clearly written and enforceable.”
Commissioner Amy Patterson spoke in favor of banning all burning in town limits.
“When you look at the environmental impacts, and the potential for people to create problems by not burning leaves and things properly, I think we should just say flat out ‘no burning’,” Patterson said. “For me it’s a very simple yes or no, and then we don’t have to get into why a person is burning, or what they are burning, we can just tell everyone ‘no burning’.”
Commissioner Buz Dotson offered the counter point that banning all outdoor burning creates a gray area in regards to enforcement.
“If we ban all outdoor burning in town limits, what does that mean for people’s open hearth cooking areas on their patios, or their small self-contained fire pits that you can go buy at any home improvement store,” Dotson said. “I don’t have any problem with those things. And even burning a leaf pile, as long as it’s done properly and the person is supervising the fire and has water nearby, I don’t think is an issue.”
Ultimately, the board agreed with Dotson and voted 4-1 to approve the ordinance amendment banning grubbing, but not all outdoor burning.
Anyone caught grubbing, or burning as a means of land clearing, faces a citation and potential fine.