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| Adapted from National Science and Technology Council Committee on Environment and Natural Resources |
Some
of the air pollutants affecting our National Forests come from sources such as industrial facilities, automobiles, and forest
fires, and are called primary pollutants. Others form when these same primary pollutants create chemical reactions
in the atmosphere to form secondary pollutants. Air pollution on our National Forests can occur on, nearby, or from
hundreds of miles away, borne by the winds. The Forest Service Air Program acquires information about pollution that may impair
visibility, harm human health, injure trees and other plants, acidify streams and lakes, leach nutrients from soils, and degrade
cultural resources, like archeological sites and historical buildings. Air Program monitoring focuses
on visibility, acid deposition, ozone, and smoke from wildfire and prescribed burning.
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