What Could Smoke from Canadian Wildfires Mean for Triad Air Quality?

What's up, Forsyth?? In this blog post, we will discuss how wildfires in Canada could affect air quality in North Carolina's Piedmont Triad region this summer. 

During the summer of 2023, Canada experienced the most destructive wildfire season on record, with over 45 million acres burned. Although western US states were already familiar with air quality impacts of wildfires, the smoke that spread from Canadian wildfires last summer resulted in some of the worst air quality that many eastern states had seen in decades. Here in the Triad, we experienced five code orange and two code red air quality action days, even though the fires were hundreds to thousands of miles from us.

"Smoke From Canadian Wildfires Blankets U.S." by NOAASatellites is marked with Public Domain Mark 1.0. This satellite image was taken on June 6, 2023.

A New Normal?

Unfortunately, poor air quality caused by wildfire smoke may become more common for the East Coast, as Canada braces for another devastating wildfire season. The intensity and frequency of fires in Western Canada is due to three years of drought after limited snowfall and warmer winter and spring temperatures. Current drought conditions are severe or exceptional in many areas of British Columbia and Alberta, and by the end of April 2024, 61%of the country was classified as abnormally dry or in moderate to exceptional drought. New blazes in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and the southern Northwest Territories have already broken out, and “zombie fires” that were not completely extinguished last summer have the potential to come back in full force. The smoke spreading from these fires has already triggered air quality alerts in four U.S. states (Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota).

"Forest fires... (2003)" by Touchstones Nelson is marked with Public Domain Mark 1.0.

Know the Code!

Triad residents should be aware that Canadian wildfire smoke could lead to more air quality action days this summer. The first step to protect your health is knowing the Air Quality Index (AQI). There are several ways to stay “air aware” depending on your preferences:

1. If you live in Forsyth, Guilford, Alamance, Davidson, Davie, Rockingham, Randolph, Caswell, or Stokes Counties in North Carolina, check the Triad Air Quality Forecast on our website, which is updated daily around 3:30pm.
2. The NC Air tool provides past, current, and forecasted air quality conditions from locations across the state of North Carolina.
3.  AirNow.gov and the free AirNow app contain current air quality (called the NowCast AQI) and the forecasted air quality for almost anywhere in the US.
4.  If you’re worried about remembering to check your air quality regularly, a great option is to sign up for air quality forecasts and/or alerts so that they can be sent automatically to your inbox through Enviroflash.
5. To see where fires and smoke are affecting different areas in North America, check out EPA’s Fire and Smoke Map.

Protect Your Health!

If an air quality alert has been issued in your area, pay attention to the discussion section, which should contain information on who could be affected and what actions to take. If PM2.5 has reached or is expected to reach unhealthy levels, you can reference the tips in EPA’s Air Quality Guide for Particle Pollution. Due to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides that are present in wildfire smoke, ozone also has the potential to reach unhealthy levels during these events. In fact, research from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) shows that much more global ground-level ozone originates from forest fires (as opposed to urban emissions) than previously thought. The Air Quality Guide for Ozone contains tips to protect your health and reduce ozone.

Although we anticipate that large peaks in PM2.5 will come from forest fires this summer, remember that backyard burning also can be dangerous, as it releases PM2.5, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and potential carcinogens into the air that you and your neighbors breathe. As a reminder, burning trash and manmade materials is always illegal in North Carolina, and burning yard waste, leaves, and other vegetation is permissible only under certain conditions. Read more about residential open burning in Forsyth County on our website.

Spread the Word!

Lastly, please share this information with your family, friends, and colleagues. Our community’s health and safety depends on good communication and collaboration, and we thank you in advance for doing your part.