The American Lung Association recently released a report that assessed the impacts of wildfire and prescribed fire smoke on the American public. In general, the report found that prescribed fire has an important role in mitigating wildfires and hazardous wildfire smoke. The report also clarified that prescribed fire smoke is a hazardous substance (although likely not as hazardous as wildfire smoke) and that steps are needed to minimize the impacts of prescribed fire smoke on vulnerable individuals and communities.
Download the report (pdf) and the shorter executive summary (pdf) for more information. You can also watch a presentation by the report authors on YouTube or embedded below.
