Collaboration to Share the Airshed

Engaging with other agencies, burn associations, and local landowners who use fire can be a valuable tool in coordinating burns and sharing the airshed. In the mid-west for example, several successful private landowner burn groups are integrated with local agencies to collaborate and schedule burns such that those who need to use fire on their land can do so, and burn at times when smoke from one fire is not interacting with smoke from other fires.

Several other examples of successful collaboration to manage air quality can be seen in the form of regional planning organizations (RPOs). After the passage of the Regional Haze Rule Federal, State, Tribal, and local agencies formed groups to gather information and develop plans to mitigate regional pollution. Each region of the country has a regional planning organization that addresses the problem of regional haze. Details about each group, and links to their web pages, can be found on the EPA's RPO web page.

Sources:
Sturtevant, Victoria; Moote, Margaret Ann; Jakes, Pamela J.; Cheng, Anthony S. 2005. Social science to improve fuels management: a synthesis of research on collaboration. General Technical Report. NC-GTR-257. St. Paul, MN: USDA Forest Service, North Central Research Station. 84 p.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. "Regional Planning Organizations". Visibility. 2007. Accessed on 9 May 2016. Available at: https://www.epa.gov/visibility/visibility-regional-planning-organizations