Ozone Resources

In October 2015 the EPA strengthened the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for ozone to 70 parts per billion. This new standard will have implications for the wildland fire community. This page highlights regulatory information from the EPA, maps of potential non-attainment areas, testimonies, and the latest reports and research collected by the NWCG Smoke Committee.

About the Ozone Standard (information from EPA)

 

The EPA ozone standards page contains the final rule, memo for implementing the new standard, regulatory impact analysis, maps and tables, fact sheets, and technical documents. These are individually listed below:

 

Wildland Fire Responses to the Ozone Rule (Briefing Papers and Testimony)


Maps and Acreages

Land cover map of areas at risk of becoming non-attainment under the primary ozone standard of 0.070 ppm (based on 2013-2015 data)
Comparison of land cover areas at risk of becoming non-attainment under the primary ozone standard of 0.070 ppm and the 2008 standard (based on 2013-2015 data)
Land ownership map of areas at risk of becoming non-attainment under the primary ozone standard of 0.070 ppm (based on 2013-2015 data)
Comparison of land ownership areas at risk of becoming non-attainment under the primary ozone standard of 0.070 ppm and the 2008 standard (based on 2013-2015 data)
Wildfire hazard potential map of areas at risk of becoming non-attainment under the primary ozone standard of 0.070 ppm (based on 2013-2015 data)
Comparison of wildfire hazard potential areas at risk of becoming non-attainment under the primary ozone standard of 0.070 ppm and the 2008 standard (based on 2013-2015 data)
NOTE: Official EPA designation for non-attainment will be based on 2014-2016 monitoring data.

Ozone Reports and Research


Deterministic and Empirical Assessment of Smoke's Contribution to Ozone (DEASCO3): 2014 Joint Fire Sciences Program Final Report for Project # 11-1-6-6, by Moore et al.

Large Wildfire Trends in the Western United States. 2014. Dennison, PE, Brewer, SC, Arnold, JD, and Moritz, MA. Geophysical Research Letters Vol. 41 (8) pgs. 2928-2933.

The Age of Western Wildfires. A 2012 Report from ClimateCentral.org

Western Region Air Partnership (WRAP) West-side Jump-start Air Quality Modeling Study (WestJumpAQMS). 2013 Final Report. Other WestJump materials on available on the WRAP WestJumAQMS webpage.