"Despite some lingering anger over wood-burning rules, Bay Area air quality officials say a five-year burn ban has paid off for the region's 7 million residents."

"Data collected by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District show winter air is getting cleaner with fewer days of unhealthy amounts of ultra-fine particles, of which smoke can make up a third.

'The program isn't perfect, but wood smoke has been reduced greatly, more than I would have thought,' said Mark Ross, an air board member and Martinez councilman.

Critics predicted the Spare the Air process would be a bust, making people angry without reining in smoke from the region's 1.4 million wood stoves and fireplaces."

Denis Cuff reports for the Contra Costa Times March 31, 2013. [2]