Reducing wildfire risk and supporting rural economies
This aerial view of Lincoln County illustrates the heavily forested lands intermixed with homes and infrastructure. (USDA Forest Service photo)
Lincoln County Montana is a beautiful place. Heavily forested, with the Cabinet Mountains as a backdrop, the vistas are what draw people here.…
Smoke, rural communities, landscapes, pile burning, kootenai complex, Confronting the Wildfire Crisis, Wildfire Crisis Strategy, fuel reduction
Research to Help You Breathe a Little Easier
By developing tools and resources that help forecast when and where smoke will travel, the AirFire Research Team allows public health agencies and communities to prepare for smoke impacts. USDA Forest Service photo.
Each year, millions of people are exposed to unhealthy air quality. As wildfire seasons…
Air Quality, Smoke, wildfire
Where there’s fire there’s smoke and it’s bad for your health
Deadly and destructive wildland fires consuming so much of the West, from California all the way to British Columbia, are not only affecting those who have had to flee but those who are downwind of these massive infernos. Smoke from this year’s summer wildfires have delayed air traffic in the Seattle area and even resulted in warnings for healthy adults to stay inside.Smoke-related health…
USDA Forest Service, wildfires, Smoke, CDC
Proposed smoke management framework allows larger prescribed fires with fewer health risks
Before a single drip torch is lit or blade of grass ignited, fire management staff must consult with state or local air quality control officials to negotiate a fine balance between using fire as a restorative tool on the landscape with concerns about smoke and its impacts on public health.For years, these determinations have been made using rudimentary scales equating acreage burned to smoke…