Wildfire Smoke: A Growing Threat to Air Quality and Public Health

Wildfire smoke is now one of the largest and fastest growing sources of harmful air pollution in the United States. Emissions from severe wildfires rival many industrial and transportation sources regulated under the Clean Air Act.

Unmanaged federal forests are fueling increasingly destructive fires whose smoke is erasing decades of progress in protecting air quality and public health.

Smoke and Air Pollution
Wildfire smoke is now the leading source of fine particle pollution (PM2.5) in the western United States. It can account for 50 to 75 percent of annual PM2.5 emissions in many states, surpassing transportation and industry during severe fire years. California's 2020 wildfires released more than 110 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, more than the state's entire power sector, erasing years of pollution-reduction progress while emitting massive amounts of soot, carbon monoxide, and toxic gases.

Health Impacts
Wildfire smoke contains the same harmful pollutants regulated under the Clean Air Act. Fine particulate matter (PM2.5), carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and hazardous air toxics such as formaldehyde and acrolein all pose serious respiratory and cardiovascular risks.

More than 10,000 premature deaths occur each year nationwide from wildfire-related fine-particle exposure. Studies estimate annual losses exceeding 100 billion dollars in medical costs, lost productivity, and premature deaths. From 2008 to 2018, wildfire smoke in California alone was linked to more than 50,000 premature deaths and up to 450 billion dollars in damages. Children, seniors, and those with heart or lung disease are especially vulnerable.

Economic Consequences
Wildfire smoke causes widespread economic disruption. Workforce productivity drops by roughly two percent during major smoke years, about 125 billion dollars in lost income nationwide. In California, smoke between 2015 and 2018 caused up to 2.6 million work-loss days and more than 500 million dollars in annual costs.

Reducing Smoke Through Active Forest Management on Federally-Owned Forests
Active forest management reduces the severity and smoke impacts of wildfires. Thinning, prescribed burning, and removal of dead and dying trees lower fire intensity, limit emissions, and improve firefighter safety. Sustaining a domestic timber and wood-products industry is essential to restoring forest health. Responsible timber harvests on federally managed lands reduce management and suppression costs and create forests more resilient to catastrophic fire and smoke.