4th International Smoke Symposium (ISS4): Wildland Fire Smoke Science and Practice in 2026
Photo by Daniel Lincoln on UnsplashThe International Association of Wildland Fire (IAWF) hosted the 4th International Smoke Symposium (ISS4) in Tallahassee, Florida, March 23–27, 2026. The symposium is a premier venue for wildland fire and smoke science, convening air quality specialists, fire professionals, health scientists, policymakers, and technology innovators to tackle the challenges and solutions around wildland and agricultural smoke.
What ISS4 Was About
ISS4 brought together experts from the research community, nongovernmental organizations, local/state/federal agencies, and tribes to discuss the state of the science and applied practice for smoke management and the air quality and public health impacts of wildland fire smoke. As the program schedule noted, the goal was to enable a global conversation and knowledge sharing across geography, topic, and practice.
Keynote speakers included Aaron Naeger, Physical Research Scientist with the SPoRT project at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, and Heather Brasell, Landowner, highlighting both research and on the ground perspectives.
Current Strategies for Wildland Fire Smoke
Tackling wildland fire smoke relies on forecasting, coordination, and public protection. Smoke outlooks and dispersion models help agencies and the public anticipate when and where smoke will move, so prescribed burns and suppression actions can be timed to reduce impacts on populated areas. Many jurisdictions use smoke management plans that set burn windows, fuel and weather criteria, and communication protocols so that fire and air quality agencies work from the same playbook. When wildfires are unplanned, incident teams coordinate with state and local air quality agencies to issue advisories and health guidance. Real time monitoring, including PurpleAir's map, gives the public and health officials local data so they can advise staying indoors, reducing activity, or using filtration when PM2.5 is high. Messaging that targets sensitive groups (people with heart or lung disease, older adults, children) and explains simple steps (close windows, run HVAC or portable HEPA filters, avoid strenuous outdoor activity) helps reduce exposure when smoke is unavoidable.
Current Strategies for Agricultural Smoke
Agricultural burning: crop residue, orchard prunings, and forestry slash, contributes to regional smoke and can conflict with health and air quality goals. Current strategies focus on when and how to burn rather than eliminating burning entirely. Burn windows aligned with favorable weather and dispersion conditions reduce how long smoke lingers and how far it travels. Best management practices include avoiding burns during inversions or when winds would push smoke toward towns and schools, keeping pile size and moisture in check for cleaner combustion, and notifying neighbors and air quality agencies in advance. Where possible, alternatives to open burning (chipping, composting, no-till or reduced-till practices, or centralized biomass use) are encouraged to cut smoke while still meeting agronomic needs. Many states run smoke management or agricultural burning programs that require permits, training, or registration so that burn activity is coordinated with air quality monitoring and public advisories. When smoke does occur, the same real-time air quality tools and health messaging used for wildland smoke help communities and workers know when to limit outdoor exposure.
Coordination and Communication
Success in both wildland and agricultural smoke depends on cross-agency coordination and clear public communication. Fire managers, air quality regulators, health departments, and land managers increasingly share data and align messaging so the public gets consistent guidance on air quality, burn activity, and what to do when smoke is in the air. Pre-season outreach (how to read the AQI, when to close up and filter, who is most at risk) and timely updates during smoke events help people act instead of guessing. Conferences like ISS4 are where these strategies are debated, refined, and shared, so that the challenges and solutions around wildland and agricultural smoke keep evolving with the science and with the field.