We Didn’t Start the Fire:

Burn Unit 6

Why do these Conversations Matter?

This council meeting focused on the impacts of storm damage and why growing season burns are important for ecosystem health, in the context of new air quality regulations. Much of Georgia and the surrounding southeast has been significantly impacted by major storms and hurricanes, such as Hurricane Helene, in the past decade. Storm debris not only poses a unique challenge when conducting prescribed burns, but can irrevocably change the landscape. Timber stands may require complete replanting or converting to agriculture fields, and the removal of fallen trees and other damaged vegetation is an extensive and expensive process. As storm debris from previous years begins to build up, burning in the growing season is going to begin playing a larger role in both fuel reduction and habitat management. 

With the burning of storm debris comes changes in smoke management and air quality considerations. In February of 2024, the EPA announced a new standard for the amount of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) that should be in the air, decreasing the allowance from 12 μg/m³ (micrograms per cubic meter) to 9 μg/m³. This strengthening of the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) under the Clean Air Act means that smoke management needs to have even stricter parameters. During last month’s GPFC meeting, a representative from the Georgia EPD Air Protection Branch presented the latest Exceptional Events Demonstrations that showed all of Georgia was in attainment (or “in compliance”), from our high-industry, metro-Atlanta counties to our rural, fire-intensive counties. A huge win for our state!

This was only possible through the collaborative effort of all prescribed fire partners and projects like the Albany Pilot Project. Prescribed fire is an important land management tool for the creation and maintenance of healthy ecosystems, and ensuring burns are conducted safely for all is a top priority. Without the dedicated work of foresters, scientists, and land managers across the southeast, the continued health of our natural, fire-adapted ecosystems couldn’t be possible.

GPFC's 2025 Governing Partners

Private: Georgia Forestry Association, Georgia Power, UGA's Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources   

Non-profit: Chattahoochee Fall Line Conservation Partnership (CFLCP), Chestatee-Chattahoochee RC&D, Georgia Plant Conservation Alliance, Georgia Wildlife Federation, Golden Triangle RC&D, The Jones Center at Ichauway, The Longleaf Alliance, The Nature Conservancy, National Deer Association, National Wild Turkey Federation, The Orianne Society, Quail Forever, Tall Timbers (Albany Quail Project)

State: Georgia DNR, Georgia Forestry Commission 

Federal: National Resources Conservation Service, USDA Forest Service, US Fish and Wildlife Service