Air Quality Monitoring

A major challenge when using controlled burning is to simultaneously protect air quality from the inevitable smoke that is produced. To the greatest extent possible, burning is planned for days when winds and weather will keep smoke away from populated areas.

One goal of the Pilot is to monitor and evaluate the impacts of prescribed burning on air quality. Most of the proposed Pilot burns are in fairly remote parts of Washington, and some small, local communities are not well represented by the extensive permanent air quality monitoring network operated by the Washington Department of Ecology. To determine the effect of burning on air quality in these more remote parts of the state, nine new temporary air quality monitors have been deployed to supplement the permanent monitoring network already in operation. New monitors have been placed in Curlew, Kettle Falls, Sherman Creek Hatchery, Usk, Manson, Plain, Liberty, Naches, and Nile. In addition, permanent monitors in Winthrop, Chelan, and Leavenworth will be scrutinized for smoke impacts from controlled burning. Learn more about smoke and air quality in Washington at wasmoke.blogspot.com.