CPFM Smoke Management & Air Quality 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which federal agency establishes National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) that prescribed fire smoke must comply with?
- USDA Forest Service
- Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (Correct answer)
- National Park Service
- Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
Correct answer: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
The EPA establishes NAAQS under the Clean Air Act, setting legally enforceable limits for pollutants including PM2.5 generated by prescribed fire smoke.
Question 2: What does an Air Quality Index (AQI) value between 151 and 200 indicate?
- Good — air quality poses little or no risk
- Moderate — acceptable for most people but risky for sensitive groups
- Unhealthy — everyone may begin to experience health effects (Correct answer)
- Hazardous — emergency conditions affecting the entire population
Correct answer: Unhealthy — everyone may begin to experience health effects
An AQI of 151–200 is classified as 'Unhealthy,' meaning everyone may begin to experience adverse health effects and sensitive groups face more serious risks.
Question 3: What is the primary purpose of a Smoke Management Plan (SMP)?
- To completely eliminate all visible smoke from prescribed fires
- To ensure prescribed burn smoke does not cause air quality standard violations (Correct answer)
- To maximize fire intensity for more efficient fuel reduction
- To document fire behavior prediction and spread modeling methods
Correct answer: To ensure prescribed burn smoke does not cause air quality standard violations
A Smoke Management Plan outlines strategies and procedures to minimize adverse air quality impacts from prescribed burning while still achieving land management objectives.
Question 4: Which service provides daily smoke management forecasts — including mixing heights, transport winds, and ventilation indices — used by prescribed fire managers?
- FAA Aviation Weather Service
- National Weather Service (NWS) (Correct answer)
- NOAA Climate Prediction Center
- USGS Geospatial Data Division
Correct answer: National Weather Service (NWS)
The National Weather Service provides operational smoke management forecasts that prescribed fire managers rely on to assess daily burning conditions.
Question 5: What are 'Class I' airsheds under the Clean Air Act?
- Urban areas with the highest population density and pollution exposure
- Pristine federal lands such as national parks and wilderness areas with strict visibility protections (Correct answer)
- Agricultural zones with minimal pre-existing air quality restrictions
- Industrial corridors where pollution offsets are pre-authorized
Correct answer: Pristine federal lands such as national parks and wilderness areas with strict visibility protections
Class I airsheds include national parks, wilderness areas, and other pristine federal lands where the Clean Air Act mandates special protection of air quality and visibility.
Question 6: What does 'opacity' measure when assessing prescribed fire smoke impacts?
- The temperature of the smoke plume at the source
- The density of smoke as measured by how much light it blocks (Correct answer)
- The vertical height of the visible smoke column
- The horizontal direction of smoke transport from the burn
Correct answer: The density of smoke as measured by how much light it blocks
Opacity measures how much light is blocked by smoke; 100% opacity means fully opaque smoke, and it is used to assess visibility impacts and estimate combustion efficiency.
Question 7: Under the EPA's Exceptional Events Rule, prescribed fire smoke may be classified as an exceptional event, which allows states to do what?
- Ignore all air quality monitoring requirements during burn windows
- Exclude properly documented prescribed fire data from air quality violation determinations (Correct answer)
- Authorize unlimited burning regardless of atmospheric conditions
- Override local county ordinances restricting open burning
Correct answer: Exclude properly documented prescribed fire data from air quality violation determinations
The Exceptional Events Rule allows states to exclude properly documented prescribed fire smoke data from NAAQS violation determinations, provided the event was reasonably controlled and managed.
CPFM Smoke Management & Air Quality 2
Which federal agency establishes National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) that prescribed fire smoke must comply with?