Air quality policy and fire management responses addressing smoke from wildland fires in the United States and Australia

Abstract

Abstract. Wildland fire emissions degrade air quality and visibility, having adverse economic, health and visibility impacts at large spatial scales globally. Air quality regulations can constrain the goals of landscape resilience and management of fire-dependent ecosystems. Here, we review the air quality regulatory framework in the United States, comparing this framework with that of Australia. In the United States, wildland fire management and air quality policies have evolved independently, yet interact to meet diverse public needs. Australian policy development is more recent and decentralised. We find that (1) for maxiumum effectiveness, smoke and fire regulatory frameworks must keep pace with scientific evidence, environmental and social change, and be accompanied by clear regulatory guidance; (2) episodic, non-stationary qualities of fire, and its role in ecosystems, pose specific challenges to regulators and policy-makers; and (3) the complexity of industry-focused air quality policies often leads to unintended consequences for fire management. More research is needed to create and implement more effective fire and air policies and better prepare social-ecological systems to address the challenges of climate change mitigation. These insights may be helpful for countries initially developing complementary fire and air policies, especially as the role of fire becomes more important geopolitically and globally.

Prescribed fire science: the case for a refined research agenda

“…Prescribed fire practitioners are considered legally responsible for the smoke their burns produce, which means that precise and accurate predictions of smoke impacts are critical to the successful and safe use of prescribed fire (Charney and Fusina 2006). Prescription windows are significantly influenced by the need to minimize smoke impacts, particularly at night or near smoke-sensitive areas (e.g., Class 1 airsheds in the US [Hyde et al 2017]). The consideration of smoke for acceptable prescription windows adds meteorological variables such as mixing height and transport winds, or derived indices such as the ventilation index and atmospheric dispersion index (Chiodi et al 2018).…”

Preface: Special Issue on Wildland Fires

“…This comparison of the western United States with southern Europe is of particular importance given a projected increase in fire impacts on humans in both these Mediterranean systems [2]. Equally, cross-country policy reviews such as this and others [6] serve as an important basis to understand how to tackle the science-policy interface of fire globally.…”

“…Wildland fires facilitate the redistribution of carbon, water, and nutrients, while unburned refugia within burned area perimeters promote the preservation of key species and habitats [5]. Injected into this socioecological fabric of fire as a landscape process are its immediate and cascading consequences on human health [6], impacts on a wide gamut of ecosystem goods and services [7,8], and consequences on large-scale atmospheric chemistry [9]. The cascading consequences of wildland fires have been recognized to have direct and indirect impacts on several downstream processes including erosion, food and fiber systems, and energy production, as well as the co-occurrence of other natural disasters such as mudslides [3,10].…”

Sensitivity of Grass Fires Burning in Marginal Conditions to Atmospheric Turbulence

“…It is clear that prescribed burning is a valuable tool of growing importance for land managers. It can be used to improve ecological health (Fitch & Kim, 2018; Knapp et al., 2009), protect vulnerable communities (Kolden & Henson, 2019; Mell et al., 2010), and reduce uncontrolled emissions from wildfires (Hyde et al., 2017; Schweizer & Cisneros, 2017; Ward & Lamb, 1970). At the same time, land managers and fire practitioners face a complex and variable coupled fire‐atmosphere system that is modulated by a changing climate, dynamic ecosystems, and evolving management practices.…”