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Author(s):
Joshua C. Hyde, Jarod Blades, Troy E. Hall, Roger D. Ottmar, Alistair M. S. Smith
Year Published:

Cataloging Information

Topic(s):
Fire Communication & Education
Public Perspectives of Fire Management
Fire Effects
Ecological - First Order
Emissions
Management Approaches
Smoke & Air Quality
Smoke & Populations
Smoke Monitoring
Air Quality

NRFSN number: 14538
FRAMES RCS number: 22380
Record updated:

Communicating emissions impacts to the public can sometimes be difficult because quantitatively conveying smoke concentrations is complicated. Regulators and land managers often refer to particulate-matter concentrations in micrograms per cubic meter, but this may not be intuitive or meaningful to everyone. The primary purpose of this guide is to serve as a tool for communicating potential particulate matter (PM2.5) levels during wildfire events using visual representation. Examples of visibility impairment under various levels of smoke concentration and humidity have been modeled using the WinHaze program.

Citation

Hyde, Joshua C.; Blades, Jarod; Hall, Troy; Ottmar, Roger D.; Smith, Alistair. 2016. Smoke management photographic guide: a visual aid for communicating impacts. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-925. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 59 p.