Eglin wildland fire managers effectively manage smoke

  • Published
  • By Jerron Barnett
  • Eglin Environmental Public Affairs
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  More than halfway through their annual prescribed burning season with more than 40,000 acres burned, Eglin wildland fire managers continue efforts to minimize impacts on urban areas from the smoke that is produced by the fires. 

Each year, through their prescribed burning program, Eglin wildland fire managers set a goal to apply fire on at least 70,000 acres a year from December to July to maintain a healthy longleaf pine forest ecosystem, James Furman, Eglin fire management section chief, said. This effort has a direct positive impact on the habitat of endangered species such as the Red cockaded woodpecker and many others. 

But, as the wildland fire managers encounter each year, there are some segments of the community that tend to focus more on the inconveniences of smoke rather than the benefits of the program. 

"We certainly take to heart any nearby citizens who have health issues that may be impacted by the effects of smoke and nothing is more important than safety when smoke impacts visibility on nearby roads and highways," Mr. Furman said. "But I think that most people would rather endure those inconveniences versus the byproduct of not having an aggressive prescribed burning program as we do here." 

And that byproduct would be the eventual loss of the pristine forested areas on the Eglin reservation and even worse--catastrophic wildfires that could wipe out nearby communities, Mr. Furman said. 

"We take great pride in being able to suppress the likelihood of a catastrophic wildfire," Mr. Furman said. "It's a direct result of our prescribed burning program." 

Currently, Eglin wildland fire managers use the consensus of four official weather reports to determine if conditions are ideal for prescribed burning that day, Mr. Furman said. Two of those weather reports are specific to the area where the burned is planned for. If the weather reports conflict, they don't burn. 

The wildland fire managers' goal is to find the right combination of weather conditions while generating enough heat in the fire to push the smoke up high enough in the atmosphere so that when the wind pushes the smoke, the result is less smoke at the ground level, Mr. Furman said. Ideally, the wind direction is blowing away from urban areas, but they conduct an extensive notification process to local law enforcement agencies and media outlets before every burn, just in case. 

Mr. Furman noted that other nearby large area landowners also conduct prescribed burns and smoke from those fires can travel long distances, so smoke from these fires could be perceived as coming from Eglin fires. 

Either way, Eglin wildland fire managers are ready to respond, especially after enduring one the busiest wildfire seasons in recent memory last year. 

"So far our equipment and personnel are holding up just fine, so we will continue to push through the rest of the burning season," Mr. Furman said.