If the wind blows just right, local air quality can be greatly affected by wildfires! During November 2016, the
Southeast experienced several days of wildfires that affected PM2.5 levels across the region.
Photo by NASA/Goddard/Jeff Schmaltz/Lynn Jenner/EOSDIS/Inciweb.
November 12, 2016. Website = http://wildfiretoday.com/2016/11/12/
These photos show how far and wide smoke can travel, affecting air quality hundreds of miles away from the actual fire.
Below you can see how the November fires affected PM2.5 level in Georgia.
In Georgia, more than one million acres of forest land are burned every year. These prescribed fires can emit large
amounts of air pollutants such as particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds, and carbon monoxide.
Emissions vary with both meteorological and fuel conditions as well as firing techniques. These factors also determine
whether a prescribed fire is successfully conducted i.e. the understory fuels are effectively consumed with minimal
smoke production. This is the same goal that both Georgia EPD and GFC desire. Over the years, Georgia EPD has closely
collaborated with GFC through implementing a Smoke Management Plan and burning bans during ozone season to minimize
the adverse air quality impacts from these fires. The close collaboration between GFC and EPD is crucial, allowing
prescribed fires to maximize the ecosystem health benefits while minimizing adverse air quality impacts.