SALINA — Kansas State University is receiving a six-figure federal grant to help with smoke management in the Flint Hills.
The grant of $100,631 will help develop what the US Department of Agriculture calls practical ozone forecasting models as well as a decision support system for smoke management. The USDA says developing this system will both encourage and enable the ongoing practice of controlled grassland burns while maintaining the area’s grassland ecosystems in a way that minimizes adverse air quality and resulting social impacts.
The prescribed burns clear invasive species and improve forage for cattle, but the particulate matter, including ozone, that results from the fires can reduce air quality and can cause related health issues as far north as Minnesota and as far east as Tennessee.
The USDA says this project will help land managers improve their burn planning, reduce smoke impact and even encourage more burning under favorable conditions.
It is currently unclear how this will affect the state’s Flint Hills Smoke Management Plan, which has been in place since 2010 after seven years of development. The plan, available online at www.ksfire.org, restricts controlled burns in April and provides a predictive smoke management tool that shows potential smoke movement patterns based on daily weather forecasts.
It is also unclear whether this may prompt further discussion about a secondary burn season in late summer or early fall across the Flint Hills. The secondary season idea began receiving media attention earlier this year.
The grant was made possible through the USDA’s Conservation Innovation Grants program, which helps to spur development and generate new conservation ideas and technologies. Nearly $11 million is going to 22 projects nationwide with this grant cycle, bringing the total investment to almost $300 million since 2004.
