Field and laboratory emission factors (EFs) of wildland fire emissions for 276 known air pollutants sampled across Canada and the US were compiled. An online database, the Smoke Emissions Repository Application (SERA), was created to enable analysis and summaries of existing EFs to be used in smoke management and emissions inventories. We evaluated how EFs of select pollutants (CO, CO 2 , CH 4 , NO x , total particulate matter (PM), PM 2.5 and SO 2 ) are influenced by combustion phase, burn type and fuel type. Of the 12 533 records in the database, over a third (n ¼ 5637) are represented by 23 air pollutants, most designated as US Environmental Protection Agency criteria air pollutants, greenhouse gases, hazardous air pollutants or known air toxins. Among all pollutants in the database, including the most common pollutants PM, CO, CO 2 and CH 4 , records are unevenly distributed with a bias towards flaming combustion, prescribed burning and laboratory measurements. Across all EFs, records are most common for south-eastern and western conifer forests and western shrubland types. Based on identified data gaps, we offer recommendations for future studies, including targeting underrepresented air pollutants, smouldering combustion phases and improved source characterisation of wildland fire emissions.Additional keywords: air quality, greenhouse gas emissions, particulate matter, prescribed fire emissions, smoke management, wildfire emissions.
DisclaimerThe Fuel Characteristic Classification System (FCCS) is in the public domain and the recipient may not assert any proprietary rights thereto or represent them to anyone as other than government-produced programs. The FCCS software is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind, including but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. The user assumes all responsibility for the accuracy and suitability of these programs for a specific application.The use of trade or firm names in this publication is for reader information and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture of any product or service. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the U.S. government or any agency thereof. Cover photographs:Fuelbeds are structurally complex and vary widely in their physical attributes and potential fire behavior. These grassland, shrubland, and forest examples illustrate a diversity of vegetation and fuels: (1) grassland in southeastern Oregon, The flexible design of FCCS allows users to represent the structural complexity and diversity of fuels created through natural processes (e.g., forest succession and disturbance) and management activities (e.g., forest harvesting and fuels reduction).Each fuelbed is organized into six strata, including canopy, shrubs, herbaceous vegetation, woody fuels, litter-lichen-moss, and ground fuels. Strata are further divided into categories and subcategories. Fuelbeds representing common fuel types throughout much of North America are available in the FCCS reference library. Users may select an FCCS fuelbed to represent their specific project or customize a fuelbed to reflect actual site conditions. The FCCS reports the following results: (1) fuel characteristics by fuelbed, stratum, category, and subcategory; (2) surface fire behavior (i.e., reaction intensity, rate of spread, and flame length); and (3) FCCS fire potential ratings of surface fire behavior, crown fire behavior, and available fuels. With its large fuels data set and ability to represent a wide variety of fuel conditions, the FCCS has numerous applications, from small-scale fuel reduction projects to large-scale emissions and carbon assessments. This report provides technical documentation of the required inputs and computations in the FCCS.
Wildland fuelbed characteristics are temporally and spatially complex and can vary widely across regions. To capture this variability, we designed the Fuel Characteristic Classification System (FCCS), a national system to create fuelbeds and classify those fuelbeds for their capacity to support fire and consume fuels. This paper describes the structure of the fuelbeds internal to FCCS. Fuelbeds are considered relatively homogeneous units on the landscape, representing distinct combustion environments that determine potential fire behaviour and effects. The FCCS fuelbeds are organized into six strata: canopy, shrubs, nonwoody fuels, woody fuels, litter-lichen-moss, and ground fuels. Fuelbeds are described by several qualitative and quantitative physical and biological variables with emphasis on characteristics useful for fuels management and fire behaviour planning. The FCCS includes 216 fuelbeds that represent the major vegetation types of the United States. The FCCS fuelbeds can be used as presented or modified to create customized fuelbeds with general or site-specific data to address fire science management or research questions. This system allows resource managers to evaluate wildland fuels operations and management activities, fire hazard, and ecological and air quality impacts at small and large spatial scales. The FCCS fuelbeds represent the United States, although the system has the potential for building fuelbeds for international application.Résumé : Les caractéristiques des couches de combustibles en milieu naturel sont complexes dans le temps et l'espace et peuvent varier énormément d'une région à l'autre. Dans le but de saisir cette variabilité, nous avons élaboré le système de classification des caractéristiques des combustibles (SCCC), un système national pour créer et classer ces couches de combustibles selon leur capacité à supporter un feu et à consumer des combustibles. Cet article décrit la structure des couches de combustibles intrinsèques au SCCC. Les couches de combustibles sont considérées comme des unités relativement homogènes dans le paysage et représentent des milieux de combustion distincts qui déterminent les effets et le comportement potentiel du feu. Les couches de combustibles du SCCC sont organisées en six strates : canopée, arbustes, combustibles non ligneux, combustibles ligneux, litière-lichens-mousses et combustibles au sol. Les couches de combustibles sont caractérisées par plusieurs variables physiques et biologiques qualitatives et quantitatives en mettant l'accent sur les caractéristiques utiles pour la gestion des combustibles et la planification du comportement du feu. Le SCCC inclut 216 couches de combustibles qui représentent les principaux types de végétation des É tats-Unis. Les couches de combustibles du SCCC peuvent être utilisées telles quelles ou modifiées pour créer des couches de combustibles sur mesure à partir de données générales ou spécifiques à une station pour s'attaquer à des problèmes de recherche ou de gestion en pyrologie forestière. Ce système perm...
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