Wildland Fire Smoke in the United States: A Scientific Assessment

This open access book synthesizes current information on wildland fire smoke in the United States, providing a scientific foundation for addressing the production of smoke from wildland fires. This will be increasingly critical as smoke exposure and degraded air quality are expected to increase in extent and severity in a warmer climate. Accurate smoke information is a foundation for helping individuals and communities to effectively mitigate potential smoke impacts from wildfires and prescribed fires. The book documents our current understanding of smoke science for (1) primary physical, chemical, and biological issues related to wildfire and prescribed fire, (2) key social issues, including human health and economic impacts, and (3) current and anticipated management and regulatory issues. Each chapter provides a summary of priorities for future research that provide a roadmap for developing scientific information that can improve smoke and fire management over the next decade.

David L. Peterson is a Professor of Forest Biology at the University of Washington and formerly a Senior Scientist with the U.S. Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. He has conducted research on fire science and climate change throughout the western United States, was affiliated with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and co-led the Forests chapter of the Fourth National Climate Assessment. He currently works on interdisciplinary teams to develop climate change assessments and adaptation strategies for national forests and other public lands.

Sarah McCaffrey, Ph.D. is a Research Forester with the USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. Her research focuses on the social aspects of fire management. This has included projects examining risk perception, social acceptability of prescribed fire, homeowner mitigation decisions, risk communication, and social issues that occur during and after fires such as evacuation decision making and agency-community interactions. More recent work has focused on internal fire management considerations including barriers to use of fire as a management tool.

Dr. Toral Patel-Weynand is the Director of Sustainable Forest Management Research for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. She has co-authored several U.S. National Assessments such as the Climate Change and United States Forests assessment. Other national assessments include the first-ever scientific assessment on agroforestry as a mechanism for improving the resiliency and productivity of farm and ranch lands and an assessment of nontimber forest products. Most recent publications include the Invasive Species in Forests and Rangelands of the United States and Forests and Rangeland Soils of the United States Under Changing Conditions.