Prescribed burns adding to air pollution

Prescribed fires are vital for reducing wildfire risk and sustaining forest biodiversity.

But they also contribute significantly to air pollution and smoke exposure, according to new research from the University of Georgia.

Wildfires and prescribed burns of forested areas both generate what’s known as fine particle pollution. Also referred to as soot, this type of pollution consists of tiny solid and liquid particles that are small enough to be inhaled and enter the bloodstream, which can lead to a variety of health problems, including cancer, heart attacks and asthma.

The researchers analyzed state burn permit records from Georgia, Florida and South Carolina, using a multi-stage air quality model to capture thousands of small, short-lived prescribed burns often overlooked by satellites or federal fire inventories. They found:

• More than 20% of the fine particle pollution in the southeastern U.S. can be attributed to prescribed burns.

• Georgia experiences the highest population exposure to fine particle pollution with over 40 smoke-impacted days annually.

• Many of Florida’s burns were located away from heavily populated areas, reducing the amount of smoke to which residents were exposed.

• South Carolina had less burned area overall.

The study is the first to put state burn permit records at the center of the smoke modeling process. Many small-scale, low-intensity prescribed fires in southeastern states are challenging for satellites to detect.

“Prescribed fire is receiving more attention because it is increasingly viewed as an important climate-adaptation tool to reduce wildfire risk and maintain biodiversity,” said Jingting Huang, lead author of the study and a postdoctoral researcher in UGA’s College of Engineering. “But as its use expands, we also need to understand how prescribed fire smoke affects nearby communities.”