The scale and intensity of wildfires in North America is increasing, endangering human health and well-being and with significant consequences for ecosystems. Yet too often, preparations for prescribed fires, wildfires, and smoke events are falling short or have gaps.
To identify and assess what’s working to prepare for wildfire smoke events, ensure protection from smoke amidst wildfires and prescribed burns, and reliably measure and address air quality during and after wildfires, we spoke with more 150 stakeholders across the Western United States, British Columbia, Canada, and Victoria, Australia.
Our report, Promising Practices and Policy Gaps: Advancing Responses to Air Quality in the Context of Wildfires and Prescribed Burns at the Community Level, outlines what communities can and should learn from what is working elsewhere, and the key gaps we need to fill to protect communities.
