Current and Projected Impacts of Residential Wood Combustion on Pacific Northwest Air Quality

Abstract

The use of wood as a residential space heating fuel has increased significantly in the Pacific Northwest in recent years. Trends reflected in wood stove sales, firewood use, air quality measurements, and emission inventory data all collectively point toward a problem of growing concern to those responsible for protecting our air resources. In response to increasing local and state regulatory agency concern, EPA Region X commissioned a three-year, multifaceted study of the residential wood combustion issue. This paper describes the technical design of the ambient air quality impact analysis phase of the study and the methodology employed to develop projections of likely future impacts in Portland, Spokane, Seattle, and Boise, as well as associated air resource management implications. Although the body of information presented is directed to Pacific Northwest airsheds, the methodology and program results are directly applicable to many communities in which wood smoke emissions may be of concern.