Resource Manager Perspectives on the Need for Smoke Science

Abstract

AbstractSmoke from wildland fire is a significant concern to resource managers who need tools, knowledge, and training to analyze, address, and minimize potential impacts; follow relevant rules and regulations; and inform the public of possible effects. Successful navigation of competing pressures to appropriately use fire on the landscape to manage fire-adapted and fire-dependent ecosystems, while protecting public health and other air quality values, depends on credible science and tools conceived of and developed in partnership between managers and the research community. Fire and smoke management are made even more complex by the current condition of ecosystems as a result of fire exclusion and the future implications of a changing climate. This chapter describes the scope of smoke management, social and regulatory contexts, and pathways through which scientific information and tools can improve the accuracy and timeliness of management and communication with the public.