Assessment and Mitigation of Wildfire-Induced Air Pollution

Wildfire smoke threatens the health and quality of life of millions of people in California every year. Through mobilizing a research network across the state, the goal of this project is to provide an innovative, scalable framework for assessment and mitigation of wildfire-induced air pollution under climate change. The project proposed in this AES project initiation application is a subcomponent of a larger research program, headed by Prof. Michele Barbato in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at UC Davis, which has been allocated funding through the University of California Office of the President's Lab Fees program as well as matching funds from the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and Los Alamos National Laboratory, totaling $4.8 million. Running from March 2020 to February 2023, the larger research program aims to: (1) leverage the strengths of research and government partnerships for wildfire mitigation, emergence response, and sustainable community development; (2) engage multiple researchers, students, and policymakers across disciplines in mutually beneficial new collaborations around air pollution modeling, public health analysis, and local policy action; and (3) produce societal benefits around wildfire-induced air pollution for California's local communities and different county/state agencies.Building on other subcomponents of the larger research program on wildfire modeling/forecasting, emissions/air quality modeling, and quantification of public health effects, this proposed AES project focuses on developing and evaluating wildfire and wildfire-induced air pollution mitigation strategies in California, including: (1) land use/vegetation management and controlled burns; (2) community development and land use policies; and (3) usage of economic and sustainable fireproof building construction materials. The project will assess the effectiveness of these strategies (taken individually and/or combined) for county-level agencies and policymakers in California. Through a trans-disciplinary approach involving social science and community engagement experts, the project will also explore policy analysis, outreach, and program evaluation dimensions to enhance air pollution mitigation actions across the state.