Smoke Management - Tools

Smoke Modeling

Smoke modeling combines fire information with meteorological information to predict where smoke from fire(s) may be transported. A wide range of options are available, from simple screening tools to complex dispersion modeling systems. Models estimating consumption and temporal emission profiles may also be employed when modeling smoke.

Screening Models

A simple way to view where your smoke could travel to and to quickly determine if you may have a problem.
- Simple Smoke Screening Tool - A simple way to view where your smoke could travel to and to quickly determine if you may have a problem.
- Florida Smoke Screening Tool (SST) - The SST uses forecasted weather data to view the potential impacts from a smoke plume. It is designed to allow individuals who are planning on conducting acreage or pile burning to view a predicted smoke plume for the planned burn. The plume is overlaid on top of GIS layers of roads, towns, and other potential smoke sensitive receptors.
Regional Smoke Dispersion Systems (web-based)

Systems that integrate many of the complex datasets and models, in order to give users a forecast of smoke concentrations and other smoke related information.
- BlueSky - A smoke modeling framework that links with the SMARTFIRE system for fire activity information, then various fuel models, consumption and emissions models, and dispersion and trajectory models to provide a prediction of surface smoke concentrations from prescribed fire and wildfires.
- HYSPLIT - The hybrid single particle lagrnagian trajectory model can be used to interactively create forward and backward trajectories from fire locations. It is also being run in dispersion mode to provide a prediction of surface and integrated column smoke concentrations in the atmosphere from fires detected by satellites. Click here for current smoke forecasts.
Desktop Dispersion Models

These models provide a means of modeling smoke plumes via a standalone computer program that runs on your computer. The user is responsible for assembling all necessary inputs in the format required by the particular model.
- SIS - The Smoke Impact Spreadsheet (SIS) model is a screening-level modeling system for calculating PM2.5 emissions and airborne concentrations downwind of natural or managed wildland fires.
- SASEM - a software application for calculating the consumption of fuel, emission of particles, and dispersion of these pollutants produced by prescribed burning of forest and range vegetation.
- NFSPUFF - a screening/planning level, three-dimensional, gridded wind field smoke emissions and trajectories puff model. It is designed to predict ground level concentrations of particulate matter and gaseous pollutants from multiple sources in complex terrain in the western United States.
- VSMOKE - The VSmoke (Lavdas 1996) and VSmoke-GIS smoke dispersion models are classified as Gaussian models allowing the user to control what percentage of the smoke is dispersed at ground level, and how the remaining smoke rises to maximum height in the atmosphere.
- CALPUFF - CALPUFF is a Gaussian puff dispersion model used to model a variety of pollutant source emissions. It has a module that uses the heat released information from a fire to calculate plume rise.
- HYSPLIT - A version of HYSPLIT is available for download and running on a PC.
- PB-PIEDMONT - A modeling system designed to model smoke at night. The system was developed initially for the southeastern US, where moisture released from the vegetation being consumed by the fire, and the naturally occurring higher moisture content of the atmosphere, generate very thick smoke plumes that often lay close to the ground and travel with locally induced wind patterns and topography.
Emission and Consumption Models

Models that predict fuel consumption and emissions from wildland fire(s).
- FEPS - Fire Emission Production Simulator (FEPS) is an interactive computer model that predicts the time rate of fuel consumption and emissions from wildland biomass burns.
- EPM - an interactive computer model that predicts the time rate of fuel consumption and emissions from wildland biomass burns.
- CONSUME - a software application for inputting fuel characteristics, lighting patterns, fuel conditions, and meteorological attributes, then CONSUME outputs fuel consumption and emissions by combustion phase.
- First Order Fire Effects Model (FOFEM) - a software application for predicting tree mortality, fuel consumption, smoke production, and soil heating caused by prescribed fire or wildfire.
Fuel Characterization Models
- FCCS - Fuel Characteristic Classification System (FCCS) is a user-friendly software program that allows users to access fuelbeds from a nation-wide library or create their own custom fuelbeds. FCCS fuelbeds were compiled from published literature, fuels photo series, fuels data sets and expert opinion. Users can modify the FCCS fuelbeds to create a set of customized fuelbeds representing any scale of interest.
- LANDFIRE - Landscape Fire and Resource Management Planning Tools Project (LANDFIRE) is a five-year, multi-partner project producing consistent and comprehensive maps and data describing vegetation, wildland fuel, and fire regimes across the United States.
- NFDRS - The 20 National Fire Danger Rating System (NFDRS) fuel models are typically used in fire danger rating systems such as the National Fire Danger Rating System (NFDRS).