Smoke Management
Smoke management refers to the management of smoke generated by prescribed fire (also called “controlled burns”) to reduce the amount of smoke generated by the fire and the impacts of the smoke. Currently, our forests are unhealthy. In order to ensure the healthy management of the Sierra Nevada forest ecosystem we must work to return our forests to the historic conditions that existed before a policy of fire suppression was adopted by the Forest Service. In order to restore our forests’ health, as well as reduce the severity of wildfires, we must remove the excess biomass and reintroduce natural fire back into our landscapes. These activities generate smoke; the better we manage smoke, the more effective our activities can be and the healthier our forests will become.