Air ~ David C. Richie

Understanding smoke from wildfire and prescribed burning is a high priority of the Forest Service Air Program. Airborne smoke particulates, especially those smaller in diameter, generated from wildfire and prescribed burning, pose health, visibility, safety, and nuisance problems. Using satellite transmitted air quality data, we can help fire managers and local health departments alert citizens about the effects of smoke and where it may travel. This is especially critical in areas where burning is prescribed to replicate the natural benefits of wildfire.

Aggressive wildfire suppression during the last century created unexpected side effects. Many ecosystems accumulated unnaturally high densities of vegetation, giving rise to infestations of non-native plants and insects as well as the increased susceptibility of native species to disease. And when it invariably returns, conflagration by fire. Federal Land Managers face the immense challenge of protecting human health and air quality while restoring fire-dependent lands to their more natural conditions.

State of the art meteorological information and computer modeling combine with real-time smoke concentration data to help address this challenge, allowing the Forest Service to better accomplish prescribed burning targets, increase safety, and burn cleaner to avoid greater air quality impacts.

In 2001, under the National Fire Plan, the US Forest Service initiated six Fire Consortia for Advanced Modeling of Meteorology and Smoke (FCAMMS) in Athens, CO, East Lansing, MI, Fort Collins, CO, Missoula, MT, Riverside, CA and Seattle, WA.

·         FCAMMS are research and development activities collaborating across all land management agencies, NOAA, NASA, and universities; which will support firefighters by developing and disseminating high-resolution fire weather, fire danger, fire behavior and smoke management products.

·         FCAMMS products merge the most advanced science in weather forecasting and satellite observation with contemporary models and developing fire science to increase the accuracy and precision of information used by fire weather forecasters and fire intelligence officers to control wildfires quickly and mange fires efficiently.

·         FCAMMS smoke management products are designed for public health and air regulatory officials to inform people and evaluate impacts from wildfire and prescribed fire on air quality in communities. Effective smoke management is a necessary component of fuel treatment programs, especially when sensitive communities are downwind.

FCAMMS Challenge

Recent experiences linking drought, forest health and devastating wildfires have convinced the public to support a National Fire Plan (NFP). Critical to accomplishing the NFP goal of delivering the highest firefighting productivity at the lowest cost is weather information about fire danger, fire behavior and smoke dispersion. Over the past few years three technologies used to generate weather-based information have made substantial advances: satellites remotely sensing in atmosphere and land characteristics, weather forecast models, and high speed computers facilitating both modeling and communications.

While the spot fire weather forecast is the responsibility of Weather Service forecasters and Geographic Coordination Centers (GAC) meteorologists, FCAMMS can improve the technology used to develop these forecasts. FCAMMS will collaborate with NOAA and universities to deliver dependable, timely, high-resolution (12 km or better) meteorological simulations of the wind, temperature, humidity and precipitation. This information will advance our understanding of interactions between fire, fuels, weather, and topography that ultimately improving the intelligence fire fighters and fire planners need to advance fire-fighting efficiency.

FCAMMS are built on the premise of collaborating with other federal agencies and universities who have expertise in satellite remote sensing, advanced computing, and weather forecasting. Each separate FCAMMS involves consortia of collaborating groups with Forest Service researchers and other land manager personnel working side by side to learn, apply, and develop the most relevant technologies.

FCAMMS Products

High-resolution weather information: While the Weather Service continually upgrades observational and model data for its forecasters, access to local high-resolution model results can provide firefighters with a more detailed wind profiles around topographic features.

Fire indices: Researchers have developed a set of indices useful for forecasting fire weather. FCAMMS output of 4km, resolution Haines index is one example of a useful fire index.

Daily Fire Maps: The USFS Rocky Mountain Research Station Fire Sciences Laboratory has developed daily maps of active fire locations in most of the continental U.S. with 1 km x 1 km resolution. The maps are derived using the real-time satellite images of NASA Terra and Aqua satellites.

Blue Sky: This real time smoke management product, developed by scientists from the Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station and the Pacific Northwest Regional Modeling Consortium, provides simulated smoke patterns from prescribed and wildfires. Each will apply it with locally developed inputs and models suited to local conditions.

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				Air ~ David C. Richie Smoke Management



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		Understanding smoke from wildfire and prescribed burning is a high priority of the Forest Service Air Program. Airborne smoke particulates, especially those smaller in diameter, generated from wildfire and prescribed burning, pose health, visibility, safety, and nuisance problems. Using satellite transmitted air quality data, we can help fire managers and local health departments alert citizens about the effects of smoke and where it may travel. This is especially critical in areas where burning is prescribed to replicate the natural benefits of wildfire. Aggressive wildfire suppression during the last century created unexpected side effects. Many ecosystems accumulated unnaturally high densities of vegetation, giving rise to infestations of non-native plants and insects as well as the increased susceptibility of native species to disease. And when it invariably returns, conflagration by fire. Federal Land Managers face the immense challenge of protecting human health and air quality while restoring fire-dependent lands to their more natural conditions. State of the art meteorological information and computer modeling combine with real-time smoke concentration data to help address this challenge, allowing the Forest Service to better accomplish prescribed burning targets, increase safety, and burn cleaner to avoid greater air quality impacts.



		FCAMMS In 2001, under the National Fire Plan, the US Forest Service initiated six Fire Consortia for Advanced Modeling of Meteorology and Smoke (FCAMMS) in Athens, CO, East Lansing, MI, Fort Collins, CO, Missoula, MT, Riverside, CA and Seattle, WA. · FCAMMS are research and development activities collaborating across all land management agencies, NOAA, NASA, and universities; which will support firefighters by developing and disseminating high-resolution fire weather, fire danger, fire behavior and smoke management products. · FCAMMS products merge the most advanced science in weather forecasting and satellite observation with contemporary models and developing fire science to increase the accuracy and precision of information used by fire weather forecasters and fire intelligence officers to control wildfires quickly and mange fires efficiently. · FCAMMS smoke management products are designed for public health and air regulatory officials to inform people and evaluate impacts from wildfire and prescribed fire on air quality in communities. Effective smoke management is a necessary component of fuel treatment programs, especially when sensitive communities are downwind. FCAMMS Gateway						FCAMMS Challenge Recent experiences linking drought, forest health and devastating wildfires have convinced the public to support a National Fire Plan (NFP). Critical to accomplishing the NFP goal of delivering the highest firefighting productivity at the lowest cost is weather information about fire danger, fire behavior and smoke dispersion. Over the past few years three technologies used to generate weather-based information have made substantial advances: satellites remotely sensing in atmosphere and land characteristics, weather forecast models, and high speed computers facilitating both modeling and communications. While the spot fire weather forecast is the responsibility of Weather Service forecasters and Geographic Coordination Centers (GAC) meteorologists, FCAMMS can improve the technology used to develop these forecasts. FCAMMS will collaborate with NOAA and universities to deliver dependable, timely, high-resolution (12 km or better) meteorological simulations of the wind, temperature, humidity and precipitation. This information will advance our understanding of interactions between fire, fuels, weather, and topography that ultimately improving the intelligence fire fighters and fire planners need to advance fire-fighting efficiency. FCAMMS are built on the premise of collaborating with other federal agencies and universities who have expertise in satellite remote sensing, advanced computing, and weather forecasting. Each separate FCAMMS involves consortia of collaborating groups with Forest Service researchers and other land manager personnel working side by side to learn, apply, and develop the most relevant technologies.





		FCAMMS Products High-resolution weather information: While the Weather Service continually upgrades observational and model data for its forecasters, access to local high-resolution model results can provide firefighters with a more detailed wind profiles around topographic features. Fire indices: Researchers have developed a set of indices useful for forecasting fire weather. FCAMMS output of 4km, resolution Haines index is one example of a useful fire index. Daily Fire Maps: The USFS Rocky Mountain Research Station Fire Sciences Laboratory has developed daily maps of active fire locations in most of the continental U.S. with 1 km x 1 km resolution. The maps are derived using the real-time satellite images of NASA Terra and Aqua satellites. Blue Sky: This real time smoke management product, developed by scientists from the Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station and the Pacific Northwest Regional Modeling Consortium, provides simulated smoke patterns from prescribed and wildfires. Each will apply it with locally developed inputs and models suited to local conditions.						THE INTERAGENCY REAL-TIME SMOKE PARTICULATE MONITORING WEB SITE More Smoke Management Links Back to Sources & Effects of Air Pollution