California

1
Californias Smoke Management Program
2
Presentation Overview

• California Health and Safety Code
• Smoke Management Guidelines
• Burner/ARB/Air District Communication
• Burn Authorization Process
• Alternatives to Burning

3
U.S. EPA Certified Program

• Californias Smoke Management Program meets the 7
  program elements described in the Interim Air
  Quality Policy on Wildland and Prescribed Fires
  (April, 1998)
• U.S. EPA approval in August, 2003

4
Legislative Authority

• AB 16, Statutes of 1970 directed ARB to establish
  guidelines for the control of agricultural
  burning
• Rice Straw Burning Reduction Act
• AB 1378, Statutes of 1991
• San Joaquin Valley Agricultural Burn Phase-Down
• SB 705, Statutes of 2003

5
Sacramento Valley Air Basin Rice Straw Phase-Down

• 1991 Legislative Mandate
• Prohibits Burning Rice Straw in Sac Valley
• Permits to Burn Allowed Only for Disease Control
• 25 of growers planted acres
• Up to 125,000 acres basin-wide

6
San Joaquin Valley Agricultural Burn Phase-Down

• Prohibits Burning of
• 2005 Field crops, pruning, and weed abatement
• 2007 Orchard removals
• 2010 Vineyard Removals, Surface-Harvested
  Prunings
• Permits to Burn Allowed Only for Disease Control

7
Smoke Management Guidelines(CCR Title 17)

• Enhanced Smoke Management Though Improved
  Planning and Communication
• Help Minimize Smoke Impacts
• Allow for More Burn Opportunities
• Requirements for
• Use of an air district burn authorization system
• Provision for Marginal burn day determination
• Burn Registration
• Smoke management plans
• Consideration of Burn Alternatives

8
Communication

• U.S. EPA -- Federal Air Quality Managers
• ARB -- State Air Quality Managers
• Air Districts -- Local Air Quality Managers
• GACC-- Federal Weather Forecasters
• Other Air Quality/Meteorology Resources
• Land/Fire Managers
• Wildlands
• Agricultural

9
Air District Programs Smoke Management
Guidelines

• Each air district shall adopt, implement, and
  enforce a smoke management program consistent
  with the Guidelines
• Air District submittals due by Dec. 31, 2001
• As of February 3, 2005, ARB has approved 28 Air
  District programs
• Electronic version of programs at
  www.arb.ca.gov/smp/district/adstat.htm

10
Burn Authorization Process

• Burn Must be Registered with the district
• Approved Smoke Management Plan (SMP) and Permit
  Required
• May Request ARB Burn Day Forecast -- CB3
• 96-hour Outlook
• 72-hour Trend
• 48-hour Forecast
• Daily Burn Forecast Conference Call
• ARB 24-hour Basin Burn Day Determination
• Air District 24-hour Burn Authorization

11
Burn Determination

• ARB makes Burn/No-Burn Determinations for each
  air basin statewide
• Determinations based on air quality and
  meteorology
• Tools include Satellite Images, Surface and Upper
  Air Observations, Model Forecasts

12
Burn Registration

• Required for All Prescribed Burns
• Initiates Smoke Planning Process
• Allows for Cataloguing of Planned Burns
• Most Districts Request 6 Months in Advance
• Many Air Districts do Annual or Semi-Annual
  Registration Meeting

13
Smoke Management Plan Elements

• Tiered Planning/Reporting System
• 10 Acres or Under 1 Ton Particulate Need Only
  Register Burn
• (May need to address Impacts on Smoke Sensitive
  Areas)
• Burns with Potential Smoke Impacts Must Address
  Smoke Sensitive Areas, Project Monitoring
  Considerations, and Potential Multi-day Burn
  Coordination
• Burns Over 10 acres or 1 ton particulate Must
  Complete Simplified Smoke Management Plan (SMP)
• 100 acres or over or more than 10 tons
  particulate must complete more comprehensive SMP
• Projects over 250 acres require Project
  Monitoring Considerations and Post-burn
  Evaluation
• Wildland Fire Use fires Must Submit SMP Within 72
  Hours to Air District (Based on Expected Total
  Burn Area)

14
Consideration ofAlternatives to Burning

• Non-burn Alternatives
• Hand Thinning
• Mechanical Treatments, Chipping
• Goats
• Alternatives End Uses
• Building Products
• Landscape Materials
• Energy Production

15
WFU Protocol

• Wildland Fire Use Coordination and Communication
  Protocol July 2004
• Framework to minimize smoke impacts from
  naturally ignited wildland fires managed for
  resource benefit
• WFUs greater than 10 acres must submit an SMP
  within 72 hours
• Air district notified if WFU exceeds 100 acres or
  250 acres within 24 hours

16
California Smoke Management Program

• ARB Smoke Management Web Page
• www.arb.ca.gov/smp/smp.htm

ARB Meteorology Desk [phone] Jill
Glass jglass_at_arb.ca.gov [phone]