SHEPHERDSTOWN — Shepherdstown resident Josh A. uses a propane-fueled torch to remove weeds from the sidewalk by his home last week. Flame weeding is a long-lasting, chemical-free method of removing weeds, which uses heat — not fire — to kill weeds, by heating their cells so hot that they wilt. Weeds should not be left in a brick sidewalk, as they pose a tripping hazard in more ways than one, as they themselves can trip people or can damage a sidewalk’s paving structure enough to make the sidewalk uneven and challenging to walk across.