SMOKE MANAGEMENT GUIDE FOR PRESCRIBED AND WILDLAND FIRE 2001 Edition EDITORS/COMPILERS: PRODUCED BY: Colin C. Hardy National Wildfire Coordinating Group Roger D. Ottmar Fire Use Working Team Janice L. Peterson John E. Core Paula Seamon Additional copies of this publication may be ordered by mail/fax from: National Interagency Fire Center, ATTN: Great Basin Cache Supply Office 3833 S. Development Avenue Boise, Idaho 83705. Fax: 208-387-5573. Order NFES 1279 An electronic copy of this document is available at http://www.nwcg.gov. ________________________________________________________________________ The National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) has developed this information for the guidance of its member agencies and is not responsible for the interpretation or use of this information by anyone except the member agencies. The use of trade, firm, or corporation names in this publication is for the information and convenience of the reader and does not constitute an endorse- ment by NWCG of any product or service to the exclusion of others that may be suitable. 2001 Smoke Management Guide Forward Forward The National Wildfire Coordinating Group’s (NWCG) Fire Use Working Team1 has assumed overall responsibility for sponsoring the development and production of this revised Smoke Management Guide for Prescribed and Wildland Fire (the “Guide”). The Mission Statement for the Fire Use Work- ing Team includes the need to coordinate and advocate the use of fire to achieve management objec- tives, and to promote a greater understanding of the role of fire and its effects. The Fire Use Working Team recognizes that the ignition of wildland fuels by land managers, or the use of wildland fires ignited by natural causes to achieve specific management objectives is receiving continued emphasis from fire management specialists, land managers, environmental groups, politicians and the general public. Yet, at the same time that fire use programs are increasing, concerns are being expressed regarding associated “costs” such as smoke management problems. This revised Guide is the Fire Use Working Team’s contribution to a better national understanding and application of smoke management. Bill Leenhouts—Chair NWCG Fire Use Working Team ___________________________________ 1 The NWCG website [http://www.nwcg.gov] contains documentation and descriptions for all NWCG working teams. – i – Preface 2001 Smoke Management Guide – ii – 2001 Smoke Management Guide Preface Preface The National Wildfire Coordinating Group’s Fire Use Working Team sponsored this 2001 edition of the Smoke Management Guide for Prescribed and Wildland Fire. A six-member steering committee was responsible for development of a general outline and for coordination of the Guide’s production. The editors/compilers invited the individual contributions, edited submissions, authored many of the sec- tions, obtained comprehensive reviews from the NWCG agencies and other partners, and compiled the final material into a cohesive guidebook. Steering Committee: Bill Leenhouts (chair, NWCG Fire Use Working Team), Colin C. Hardy, Roger D. Ottmar, Janice L. Peterson, John E. Core, Paula Seamon. Authors: Gary Achtemeier, Research Meteorologist, Bill Leenhouts, Fire Ecologist, USDI Fish and USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Wildlife Service, National Interagency Fire Station. Athens, GA Center. Boise, ID James D. Brenner, Fire Management Adminis- Tom Leuschen, Owner—Fire Vision, USDA trator, State of Florida Dept. of Agriculture and Forest Service, Okanagon National Forest. Consumer Service, Division of Forestry, Okanagon, WA Tallahassee, FL Robert E. Mutch, Consultant Forester, Sys- John E. Core, Consultant, Core Environmental tems for Environmental Management. Missoula, Consulting. Portland, OR MT Sue A. Ferguson, Research Atmospheric Scien- Roger D. Ottmar, Research Forester, USDA tist, USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Research Station. Seattle, WA Station. Seattle, WA Colin C. Hardy, Research Forester Janice L. Peterson, Air Resource Specialist, USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Re- USDA Forest Service, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie search Station. Missoula, MT National Forest. Mountlake Terrace, WA Sharon M. Hermann, Research Ecologist, Timothy R. Reinhardt, Industrial Hygienist, Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn URS Corp. Bellevue, WA University. Auburn, AL Paula Seamon, Fire Management Coordinator, Bill Jackson, Air Resource Specialist, USDA The Nature Conservancy, Fire Management Forest Service, Region 8, Asheville, NC Program. Tallahassee, FL Peter Lahm, Air Resource Program Manager, Dale Wade, Research Forester, USDA Forest Service, Arizona National Forests. USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Phoenix, AZ Station. Athens, GA – iii – Preface 2001 Smoke Management Guide – iv – 2001 Smoke Management Guide Table of Contents Table of Contents Forward..................................................................................................... i Bill Leenhouts—Chair, NWCG, Fire Use Working Team Preface .................................................................................................... iii 1.0 Introduction .............................................................................................3 Colin C. Hardy Bill Leenhouts 2.0 Overview 2.1 The Wildland Fire Imperative .............................................................11 Colin C. Hardy Sharon M. Hermann Robert E. Mutch 2.2 The Smoke Management Imperative...................................................21 Colin C. Hardy Sharon M. Hermann John E. Core 3.0 Smoke Impacts 3.1 Public Health and Exposure to Smoke......................................27 John E. Core Janice L. Peterson 3.2 Visibility .........................................................................................35 John E. Core 3.3 Problem and Nuisance Smoke....................................................41 Gary L. Achtemeier Bill Jackson James D. Brenner 3.4 Smoke Exposure Among Fireline Personnel ............................51 Roger D. Ottmar Timothy R. Reinhardt – v – Table of Contents 2001 Smoke Management Guide 4.0 Regulations 4.1 Regulations For Smoke Management......................................... 61 Janice L. Peterson 4.2 State Smoke Management Programs.......................................... 75 John E. Core 4.3 Federal Land Management - Special Requirements ................. 81 Janice L. Peterson 5.0 Smoke Source Characteristics ............................................................ 89 Roger D. Ottmar 6.0 Fire Use Planning ................................................................................ 109 Tom Leuschen Dale Wade Paula Seamon 7.0 Smoke Management Meteorology ..................................................... 121 Sue A. Ferguson 8.0 Smoke Management: Techniques to Reduce or Redistribute Emissions ......................... 141 Roger D. Ottmar Janice L. Peterson Bill Leenhouts John E. Core 9.0 Smoke Dispersion Prediction Systems ............................................ 163 Sue A. Ferguson 10.0 Air Quality Monitoring for Smoke ..................................................... 179 John E. Core Janice L. Peterson 11.0 Emission Inventories .......................................................................... 189 Janice L. Peterson 12.0 Smoke Management Program Administration and Evaluation ..... 201 Peter Lahm Appendix A – Glossary of Fire and Smoke Management Terminology ..... 209 – vi – 2001 Smoke Management Guide Introduction Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION – 1 – Chapter 1 – Introduction 2001 Smoke Management Guide – 2 – 2001 Smoke Management Guide Introduction Introduction Colin C. Hardy Bill Leenhouts Why Do We Need A National Smoke Management Guide? As an ecological process, wildland fire is essen- proach will adequately address them. But tial in creating and maintaining functional people with a desire for responsible smoke ecosystems and achieving other land use objec- management working in partnership with the tives. As a decomposition process, wildland fire latest science-based smoke management infor- produces combustion byproducts that are harm- mation can fashion effective regional smoke ful to human health and welfare. Both the land management plans and programs to address management benefits from using wildland fire their individual and collective objectives. The and the public health and welfare effects from intent of the Guide is to provide the latest wildland fire smoke are well documented. The science-based smoke management information challenge in using wildland fire is balancing the from across the nation to facilitate these col- public interest objectives of protecting human laborative efforts. health and welfare and sustaining ecological integrity. Awareness of smoke production, transport, and effects on receptors from prescribed and wild- Minimizing the adverse effects of smoke on land fires will enable us to refine existing smoke human health and welfare while maximizing the management strategies and to develop better effectiveness of using wildland fire is an inte- smoke management plans and programs in the grated and collaborative activity. Everyone future. This Guide addresses the basic control interested in natural resource management is strategies for minimizing the adverse effects of responsible and has a role. Land managers need smoke on human health and welfare—thus to assure that using wildland fire is the most maximizing the effectiveness of using wildland effective alternative of achieving the land