About a month ago an elderly neighbor cut down some trees, and started making charcoal.

He's downwind from me, so not really a problem, besides the neighbors assured me it was just temporary.

The next thing I know, however, all these copycat charcoal making operations spring up, and the air is filled day and night with the acrid smell of burning wood. Judging from the size of some of the haystacks and piles of wood, some are thinking about doing this long term. I've tried talking to some of my neighbors about how it's not really healthy, especially for kids, but people don't seem to be particularly concerned.

Anybody have any experience with or suggestions on how to deal with this problem?

find a wall and then bang youre head on it repeatedly, if in a village youre gonna be the evil villain...alternatively Im pretty sure there is a govt number you can call to complain about this but I dont know what it is.

Dont worry as soon as you do anything they dont like they will complain like ferk to the head of village

If it was just one person doing this, I'm sure I could work out the problem, possibly with the help of the village puu yai. The problem here is that a bunch of people have started doing it, and a lot of them are elderly pensioners who are scraping by and just trying to make a few extra baht.

The Hub of Copycats...

How long you suppose it will take before all the trees are gone?

It will start raining soon then they will stop. Trying to talk sense to Thais? not really possible, they would just say what about all the other people doing it

Manufacture charcoal in a populated area?

All I can tell you is that it does not happen in our village.

The piles are all out in the fields.

And even in Thailand such disturbance is hardly to be tolerated.

They used to do it when i lived in the village,the stink goes right through the house,no point saying anything,the thought that they may upset someone or inconvenience them would not have even entered their heads.

Just wait a while, they will all stop doing it when they cannot make money.

It happens all the time 1 person starts something then all the other villagers start.

In our village it is crickets at the moment, my wife included.

I bet they wish they could nip down the local Social Security Office and get money every week, but they can't, so they do what they can to earn a few baht.

I doubt they enjoy it any more than you do, but unlike farang, they have little choice.

Iam the Lorax and I speak for the trees.

Burn down the whole <deleted> forest. If charcoal is what they want, give it to them.

Burn down the whole <deleted> forest. If charcoal is what they want, give it to them.

a humanitarian walks amongst us ..........

Had it been anyone else, Gecko would of been on here lecturing from the opposite side.

Breath deeply and fill your lungs with the smoke of assimilation and self sufficiency. Ahhh!

Gecko: "I love the smell of burning charcoal in the morning."

Gecko: "I love the smell of burning charcoal in the morning."

Great photo.

And yes, sensitive to your plight, had that for a while the next house over. Older lady, very basic house, growing vegetables, tending ducks and chickens. Only lasted a few weeks until she exhausted the wood supply, then finito.

If you are worried about the smell, the wind changes direction daily, but it's a stinker if they burn overnight, which they often do, it's a still night and the cloud drifts your way.

When the trees are all gone, they will source wood from other sources, usually wooden pallets.

I've never seen hay used in the production of charcoal.

If you collect water off your roof to drink, wait till a good rain shower to was the dust away before you store it in your jars.