The Burning Season in Northen Thailand | Jack Kurtz: Photojournalist & Travel Photographer

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09 APRIL 2013 - KHUNTAN, LAMPHUN, THAILAND: A man rides his motorcycle past a grassfire buring out weeds in Khuntan, Lamphun province, Thailand. The "burning season," which roughly goes from late February to late April, is when farmers in northern Thailand burn the dead grass and last year's stubble out of their fields. The burning creates clouds of smoke that causes breathing problems, reduces visibility and contributes to global warming. The Thai government has banned the burning and is making an effort to control it, but the farmers think it replenishes their soil (they use the ash as fertilizer) and it's cheaper than ploughing the weeds under. PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ

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09 APRIL 2013 - KHUNTAN, LAMPHUN, THAILAND: A man rides his motorcycle past a grassfire buring out weeds in Khuntan, Lamphun province, Thailand. The "burning season," which roughly goes from late February to late April, is when farmers in northern Thailand burn the dead grass and last year's stubble out of their fields. The burning creates clouds of smoke that causes breathing problems, reduces visibility and contributes to global warming. The Thai government has banned the burning and is making an effort to control it, but the farmers think it replenishes their soil (they use the ash as fertilizer) and it's cheaper than ploughing the weeds under. PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ