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Air quality impacts from prescribed forest fires under different management practices
Di Tian1, Yuhang Wang, Michelle Bergin
1School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA. di.tian@gatech.edu
Environmental Science & Technology
|May 24, 2008
Summary
Prescribed forest fire emissions impact air quality. Spring and winter fires most affect PM2.5, while spring/summer fires impact ozone more. Forest management, like fire frequency, significantly alters these effects.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Atmospheric Chemistry
- Forestry Management
Background:
- Prescribed forest fires are a source of significant air pollutant emissions.
- Forest management practices can modulate these emissions and their air quality impacts.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify the regional air quality impacts of prescribed fires in Georgia.
- To assess how different forest management practices, including burning season, frequency, and smoldering emission control, affect air quality.
Main Methods:
- Utilized source-oriented air quality modeling.
- Modified emissions from prescribed fires to reflect various management practices.
- Analyzed impacts on particulate matter (PM2.5) and ozone.
Main Results:
- Fires in spring and winter had greater PM2.5 impacts than summer fires; spring and summer fires had larger ozone impacts.
- Less frequent fires (longer fire return interval) resulted in larger emissions per fire but reduced overall annual emissions and regional impacts.
- Smoldering emissions contributed significantly to PM2.5 levels in nonattainment areas.
Conclusions:
- Forest management practices critically influence the air quality effects of prescribed fires.
- Adjusting burning season and fire frequency can mitigate negative air quality outcomes.
- Controlling smoldering emissions is important for reducing particulate matter concentrations.
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