The annual Flint Hills grass fire season will begin soon, and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment has announced the 2019 Smoke Management Tool will go live Friday.
Bureau of Air meteorologist Doug Watson tells KVOE News the tool provides an easy for ag producers to see the impact of their planned burns before they happen.
Watson says there aren’t any real changes to the Smoke Management Tool for this year, and there really aren’t any changes to the overarching Flint Hills Smoke Management Plan that’s been in place since 2010. The plan essentially halts most non-essential burns across Lyon County, surrounding counties and other parts of the Flint Hills.
Before the 2017 season began, the Sierra Club of Kansas called on the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and the Environmental Protection Agency to change the Smoke Management Plan to limit the amount of so-called particulate matter generated by the fires. Last year, the state of Nebraska and the city of Lincoln also called on KDHE to adjust the plan.
Watson says Kansas had high particulate matter levels at times last year but did not have any air quality exceedances.
With the wet winter ongoing and a wet fall last year, Watson says there is a lot of fuel to burn at a time when conditions aren’t favorable for burning just yet. Watson anticipates a compressed burn season is possible, and he’s telling ag producers to look to March instead of April for burning — if possible — to limit the potential air quality issues in April.
For more information about the Smoke Management Tool, go online to www.ksfire.org. There is a mobile-friendly version available by going to the website.
