New rules are cutting the amount of smoke flowing into neighborhoods in connection with brush-clearing burns in Lawrence.

Example: First Management’s removal and destruction of trees and brush on property south of Free State High School, a permitted burning site that has yet to ignite a single complaint – or even an inquiry – from anyone in town, said Rich Barr, Lawrence fire marshal.

And the incendiary project’s been burning for a month.

“You could step on your back porch and – maybe – smell it, but if you scan the horizon, you might only see the heat waves,” Barr said.

The technology behind the neighborhood-friendly process: an Air Curtain Destructor, a diesel-powered device that blows a steady stream of fresh air into a pit about 10 feet deep, where crews deposit trees, shrubs and other material deemed appropriate for elimination.

“It causes the combustion process to be really complete,” Barr said. “It combusts things so efficiently that there’s very little smoke.”

Rules to use such equipment for controlled burns in the city took effect Jan. 1 as part of the updated Uniform Fire Code and local amendments.

First Management is the first contractor in the city to be required to use the device in the city limits. The company is clearing property for Bauer Farm, a development project along the north side of Sixth Street, between Wakarusa Drive and Folks Road.

Site preparation is under way, and construction of retail space is expected to begin in February at the northeast corner of Sixth and Wakarusa streets, said Micah Kimball, project manager. Future work is set to include offices, residences and, eventually, a Lawrence Community Theatre.