· to cooperatively develop and implement state-of-the-art smoke management techniques, analysis, and coordination that will minimize the public health impacts from smoke and facilitate opportunities to accommodate prescribed fire needed to protect human life, property, and natural resources.

· to cooperate with other parties involved with prescribed burning, including the public, to ensure that the prescribed burning program is managed in a sound scientific manner that will enhance ecosystem sustainability and ensure that cumulative smoke impacts are eliminated or minimized.

· to establish and implement on a regular basis a formal cooperative relationship between the ARB and the FS.
 

· preparing smoke management plans for all burns for review and approval by the local air district.

· coordinating with the appropriate air district(s) and others planning burns for the same time period before conducting a prescribed burn to avoid cumulative smoke impacts and maintaining daily coordination as long as the burn is active.

· including in the Prescribed Fire Incident Reporting System (PFIRS), or any mutually agreeable follow-on system, a post-burn review for large, overnight, multi-day, multi-agency, or sensitive area burns. The review shall discuss why the burn was either successful or unsuccessful in terms of smoke management, acres burned vs. planned, and include comments about improvements that could be made to management and implementation of future burns.
 

· applying all appropriate emission reduction techniques.

· limiting the amount of material to be burned on any one day based on the meteorological and air quality conditions, in consultation with ARB and/or the local air district, and the Interagency Fire Forecast Warning Units.
 

· facilitating the review, approval, and coordination of all 48-hour decisions that are used for large, overnight, multi-day, multi-agency, or sensitive area burns by daily contact with the ARB and district providing the burn approval.

· consulting with ARB and avoiding new or further ignitions when smoke impacts are expected to be unacceptable. Exceptions to this might include but are not limited to conditions where further ignitions could avoid higher smoke concentrations from prolonged smoldering or where fire fighter or public safety is associated with the decision.

· declaring that when a natural ignition occurs on a "no-burn" day, the initial "go/no go" decision to manage the fire for resource benefit will be a "no go", unless, after consultation, the ARB or local air district decides that the burn can proceed.

· providing to districts (unless otherwise agreed) for all burns, especially overnight burns, a daily review of the burn progress, meteorological conditions, smoke plume dispersion and public safety. This information will be used to develop coordinated input into decisions to continue or discontinue burning or ignition.
 

· providing projections of anticipated smoke vectors from burns both day and night.

· including in smoke management plans specific contingency actions that will be taken if smoke impacts occur or meteorological conditions go out of prescription. Such actions could include providing resources to put out the fire, sectioning burns into smaller areas, etc. Contingency actions will be evaluated with respect to firefighter and public safety.
 

· surface weather data (winds, temperature, and relative humidity).

· particulate matter monitoring near sensitive areas as negotiated with the air district.

· smoke plume monitoring by aircraft and/or satellite will continue to be developed. Forest Service will strive to make data available to ARB, unless other arrangements are made.

· work with FS meteorologists to improve the capability of localized prescribed fire forecasts.

· develop improved methods of gathering and sharing meteorological and pollutant data.

· promptly issue 48?hour burn decisions when requested to do so by the FS for specific prescribed burns that are likely to occur as scheduled, and review these decisions on the morning of the burn to verify that conditions are as forecast.

· review, or have the appropriate air district(s) review, specific smoke management plans and provide recommendations.

· advise all air districts in which prescribed burning is anticipated to occur of this MOU (and forward a copy to them), and assist the districts by providing technical guidance and training as necessary.

· assist in the siting of appropriate air quality monitors.

· assist FS in training personnel in smoke management related courses; investigate with the FS an appropriate level of ARB assistance in wildfire management; and review the need to monitor wildfires and develop public warning and information strategies.

· participate in the PFIRS (or any follow-on system) program maintained by the FS to coordinate and report prescribed burning activity.

· use the mutually agreed to reporting system to develop and institute procedures for daily interagency communication and coordination for gathering and sharing meteorological and other data for individual burns.

· provide mutual assistance in siting meteorological and monitoring equipment and communications hookups whenever practicable.

· cooperate to acquire frequent very high?resolution satellite images capable of monitoring smoke plumes.

· conduct joint investigations as necessary when serious smoke impacts occur.

· work together to identify and promote the ``Best Management Practices'' to be used to reduce and manage smoke emissions, including mutual development of a way to match burns with daily meteorological conditions.

· develop a joint public education strategy as part of the ``Best Management Practices'' concept.

· develop procedural elements for smoke impact contingency plans as part of the ``Best Management Practices'' concept.

· develop data needs and acquisition methods in the ``Best Management Practices'' concept.

· develop methodologies to estimate emission amounts and maintain inventories in the ``Best Management Practices'' concept.

· identify, evaluate, and incorporate appropriate meteorological and smoke dispersal models in the ``Best Management Practices'' concept.

· develop a small ad-hoc team to implement key aspects of this agreement. The Regional Forester of the Pacific Southwest Region of the Forest Service and the Executive Officer of the ARB will meet annually or as necessary to discuss issues of concern related to prescribed fire and air quality.