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Overview
Basics
Basics
Prescribed burning has been conducted in and around the Lake Tahoe Basin (LTB) to maintain natural succession of plant communities and to reduce wildfire danger. During 2011-2012, approximately 2000 acres of wildland in the LTB were subjected to understory or slash-pile burns. Although these prescribed burns are conducted under strict guidelines, they can still be an important source of air pollutants, particularly fine particulate matter (PM2.5), in the LTB. This research combined ambient air quality monitoring, in-plume source measurements, and dispersion modeling to characterize prescribed burning emissions and evaluate the magnitude and spatiotemporal distribution of smoke impacts.
Completed
2010
2010
2013
$193,491
Alan Heyvaert (alan.heyvaert@dri.edu)
10/31/2017
10/31/2017
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Organizations
EIP Details
EIP Basics
EIP Basics
04.01.01.0125 - P076: Evaluation of Prescribed Burning Emissions and Impacts on Air Quality in the Lake Tahoe Basin
Performance Measures
Expected Performance Measures
Expected Performance Measures
No expected performance measures set for this project.
Reported Performance Measures
Reported Performance Measures
No annual performance measure accomplishments entered for this project.
Funding
Expected Funding
Expected Funding
$193,491
$193,491
$0
| Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act (Pacific Southwest Research Station) (USFS - PSW) | $193,491 | $193,491 | $0 |
| Grand Total | $193,491 | $193,491 | $0 |
Reported Expenditures
Reported Expenditures
| Total | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act (Pacifi... | $193,491 | $48,373 | $48,373 | $48,373 | $48,372 |
| Grand Total | $193,491 | $48,373 | $48,373 | $48,373 | $48,372 |
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Threshold Categories
-
Provide information for important policy decisions designed to reduce air and water impacts of atmospheric pollutants.
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Notes
Notes
| 09/20/2017 12:21 PM | Matt Driscoll | Match Funding: USFS: $190,100 | ||
| 09/20/2017 12:21 PM | Matt Driscoll | Objectives: This research combined ambient air quality monitoring, in-plume source measurements, and dispersion modeling to characterize prescribed burning emissions and evaluate the magnitude and spatiotemporal distribution of smoke impacts. |
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| 09/20/2017 12:21 PM | Matt Driscoll | Findings: - Laboratory tests and emission models underestimate prescribed burn emissions and combustion efficiencies - Understory burns show higher emission factors than slash pile burns, implying larger environmental effects. - Despite enforcement of smoke management plans, prescribed burning impacts air quality in the Lake Tahoe Basin, which may not be sufficient to exceed air quality standards and yet still generate public complaints (e.g., see the comments below on the Draft Final Report, from technical peer reviewers). - Individual prescribed burn impacts are inhomogeneous and of short duration compared with wildfires. - Further model development and validation are required to quantify prescribed burning contributions to pollutants versus contributions from other sources. - Burn decisions should consult longer-term weather forecasts coupled with dispersion modeling. - A cross-agency, post-burn reporting system should be available. - Further research should focus on spring and summer burns for validating the emission and dispersion models. |
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| 09/20/2017 12:20 PM | Matt Driscoll | Management Implications: • Burn decisions should consult longer-term weather forecasts coupled with dispersion modeling. o To address the potential impact of prolonged smoldering combustion emissions, it is not sufficient to base the prescribed burn decision solely on weather conditions of the burn day. A longer-term forecast (e.g., 72 hours) should be consulted, especially for burns close to population centers. This can be further rectified by dispersion modeling using updated combustion efficiencies and emission factors as described in this report. • A cross-agency, post-burn reporting system should be available. o The current burn records are mainly for acquiring a burn permit and do not reflect adjustments (e.g., ignition time and burn plot) made in the field. A post-burn reporting system needs to be developed, which would provide accurate burn information, facilitate hindcasting of smoke dispersion, and update emission inventories. o The burn information needs to be entered into the system by a burn officer after each burn and made accessible on-line. • Further research should focus on spring and summer burns for validating the emission and dispersion models. o Source- and receptor-oriented modeling will be the ultimate tools for quantifying prescribed burning impacts on air quality and environment health. These models need to be continuously developed and validated. Spring and summer burns would be the preferred cases for validating models, since contributions from residential wood combustion are small and contributions from wildfires can be clearly distinguished. o This study provides examples of smoke plume dispersion and characterization. Future research should include hourly measurements of more specific biomass burning markers, such as brown carbon, water-soluble potassium, and levoglucosan, at the ambient monitoring sites to reduce the ambiguity in model evaluation. |
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| 07/12/2017 7:26 AM | Kiara Cuerpo-Hadsall | Publications: www.fs.fed.us/PSW/partnerships/tahoescience |