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Smoke and Air Quality

Displaying 81 - 86 of 86

NWFSC Research Brief #1: Traversing Through the Haze - Exploring the Human Perspective of Smoke from Fire

Year of Publication
2013
Product Type

How does this smoke affect people? Do people know where the smoke comes from and does such knowledge affect their attitude towards it? Do concerns about smoke preclude the use of prescribed fire? Gaining insight into public attitudes toward smoke is important in making decisions regarding its management. To investigate these questions, we conducted a mail survey of households in four sites across the US in 2012. Nearly 1000 people responded to the survey.

Smoke Science Plan: The Path Forward

Year of Publication
2012
Publication Type

Wildland fire managers face increasingly steep challenges to meet air quality standards while planning prescribed fire and its inevitable smoke emissions. The goals of sound fire management practices, including fuel load reduction through prescribed burning, are often challenged by the need to minimize smoke impacts on communities.

Health Effects of Wildland Fire Smoke: Insight from Public Health Science Studies

Year of Publication
2012
Publication Type

Due to the composition and dispersion of wildland fire smoke, particulate matter is the principal pollutant of public health concern. Effects will vary based on the source of smoke but predominantly impact local communities in the same way. Studies of the effects of PM from non-fire sources show that long-term exposure can reduce lung function and cause the development of chronic bronchitis.

Atmospheric Interactions with Wildland Fire Behaviour I. Basic Surface Interactions, Vertical Profiles and Synoptic Structures

Year of Publication
2012
Publication Type

This paper is the first of two reviewing scientific literature from 100 years of research addressing interactions between the atmosphere and fire behaviour. These papers consider research on the interactions between the fuels burning at any instant and the atmosphere, and the interactions between the atmosphere and those fuels that will eventually burn in a given fire.

Atmospheric Interactions with Wildland Fire Behaviour II. Plume and Vortex Dynamics

Year of Publication
2012
Publication Type

This paper is the second of two reviewing scientific literature from 100 years of research addressing interactions between the atmosphere and fire behaviour. These papers consider research on the interactions between the fuels burning at any instant and the atmosphere, and the interactions between the atmosphere and those fuels that will eventually burn in a given fire.

Estimating volume, biomass, and potential emissions of hand-piled fuels

Year of Publication
2009
Publication Type

Dimensions, volume, and biomass were measured for 121 hand-constructed piles composed primarily of coniferous (n = 63) and shrub/hardwood (n = 58) material at sites in Washington and California. Equations using pile dimensions, shape, and type allow users to accurately estimate the biomass of hand piles.