Fuels Planning: Science Synthesis and

Integration

Environmental Consequences Fact Sheet: 11

Smoke Impact Spreadsheet (SIS)

Model

United States

Department

of Agriculture

Forest Service

Rocky Mountain

Research Station

Research Note

RMRS-RN-23-11-WWW

March 2005

Fuels planning: Science synthesis and integration, an interagency research/management

partnership to support the Ten-Year Fire Plan,

led by Russell T. Graham, RMRS, and Sarah M.

McCaffrey, NCRS.

Synthesizing

Scientific Information

for Fire and Fuels

Project Managers

Environmental Consequences

Team Leader

Elaine Kennedy Sutherland

USDA Forest Service

Rocky Mountain Research Station

Missoula, MT

Trent Wickman

USDA Forest Service

Superior National Foarest

Duluth, MN

Ann Acheson

USDA Forest Service

Wayne National Forest

Nelsonville, OH

What is SIS?

The Smoke Impact Spreadsheet (SIS) is a simple-to-use planning model for calculating particulate matter (PM) emissions and concentrations downwind of

wildland fires. SIS conservatively predicts (that is, estimates higher than actual)

downwind PM concentrations for comparison with appropriate Federal or State

air quality standards. SIS is an easy-to-use replacement for the SASEM model.

SIS has three main components:

• An Excel-based graphic user interface for easy

data entry, model execution, and display of

results.

• An emissions module that calculates emissions

for broadcast burns and wildfires using the First

Order Fire Effects Model (FOFEM5), and for pile

burns using the CONSUME 2.1 pile wizard.

• A dispersion module that calculates downwind

concentrations using the CALPUFF dispersion

model.

Intended Users

Fire/fuel planning specialists and air quality specialists.

Intended Uses

Planning tool for:

• Project development

• NEPA documents

• Burn plans

• State smoke permitting

What the Model Does

SIS is a state-of-the-science planning tool for evaluating smoke impacts of different wildland burning scenarios for all vegetation types in the United States.

What SIS does:

• Predicts 1-hour and 24-hour average PM concentrations at user-defined receptors for up to 10 colocated burn units (for example, wildland fires, broadcast burns, pile burns), each with different areas and start times.

• Models impacts for daytime and nighttime meteorological conditions (wind

speed, ambient temperature, stability class, mixing height) specified by the

user.

• Estimates impacts using a simplified terrain profile provided by the user.

• Displays outputs in Excel tables and chart.

Pacific Northwest

Research Station

Rocky Mountain

Research Station
The Fuels Planning fact sheets are based on preliminary findings. Information from fact sheets will be synthesized in an upcoming publication.

Environmental Consequences Fact

Sheets

Look for fact sheet topics from the Environmental Consequences

Team including information about the effects of fire behavior and

alternative treatment strategies, Wildlife Response Model, weed responses, riparian systems, soil erosion, restoration objectives, treated

spaces, the Fire Effects Information System (FEIS), and the First

Order Fire Effects Model (FOFEM).

Fuels Planning: Synthesis and Integration

This fact sheet is one in a series being produced as part of a larger

project supported by the USDA Forest Service to synthesize new

knowledge and information relevant to fire and fuels management.

Fact sheets address topics related to stand structure, environmental

impacts, economics, and human responses to these factors. Information in the fact sheets is targeted for the dry forests of the Inland

West, but is often applicable across broad regions of the country.

For more information, please visit our Web site at:

www.fs.fed.us/fire/tech_transfer/synthesis/synthesis_index

What the Model Does Not Do

SIS is not an operational tool for making go/no-go decisions for prescribed burns. SIS was developed as a simple

model for fire and air practitioners and does not consider:

• Use of actual weather records or three-dimensional

terrain data.

• Visibility impacts. The user must make a separate

calculation to assess visibility impacts based on the

reported concentrations.

• Trapping of fire emissions within mountain valleys.

• Spatial separation between fire sources (for example,

piles or burn units). All sources are assumed to be

colocated.

Required Inputs

SIS requires minimal input data and setup time by the

user. The results are easy to read and understand and

may be copied into other reports. The following are specific inputs needed:

• Burn name, burn type, burn acres, FOFEM5 fuel

type and fuel loading by size.

• For pile burns—pile shape, dimensions, packing

ratio, fuel type for pile burns, and number of piles

per burning period.

• For broadcast burns—subunits, starting hour, strip

width, strip length, number of strips, strip spacing,

ignition rate (ft/min), and ignition time (hours).

• For meteorology—burn date, latitude, 10-meter

wind speed (mph), wind direction offset (degrees),

maximum temperature, Pasquill-Gifford stability

class.

• For terrain—maximum distance, average elevation

of burn, terrain profile.

How to Obtain the Model

The SIS setup file and users guide may be downloaded

from the following Web site: http://www.airsci.com

/SIS.html

The model can be run using flat terrain, or using a

simplified terrain profile provided by the user (photo

credit: USDA Forest Service files).

SIS evaluates smoke impacts of different wildland burning

scenarios for all vegetation types in the country (photo credit:

Tom Iraci).