Edited by
Andrzej Bytnerowicz, USDA Forest Service, Riverside, CA, USA
Michael Arbaugh, USDA Forest Service, Riverside, CA, USA
Allen Riebau, USDA Forest Service, Riverside, CA, USA
Christian Andersen, US Environmental Protection Agency, OR, USA
Description
The interaction between smoke and air pollution creates a public health challenge. Fuels treatments proposed for National Forests are
intended to reduce fuel accumulations and wildfire frequency and severity, as well as to protect property located in the wild land-urban
interface. However, prescribed fires produce gases and aerosols that have instantaneous and long-term effects on air quality. If fuels
treatment are not conducted, however, then wild land fires become more severe and frequent causing worse public health and wellfare effects.
A better understanding of air pollution and smoke interactions is needed in order to protect the public health and allow for socially
and ecologically acceptable use of fire as a management tool. This text offers such an understanding and examines innovative wide-scale
monitoring efforts (field and remotely sensed), and development of models predicting spatial and temporal distribution of air pollution
and smoke resulting from forests fires and other sources.
Included in series
Developments in Environmental Science
Audience:
environmental scientists, foresters, geophysicians, ecologists, environmental geologists
