Lesson Overview: In this activity, students learn that smoke from wildland fires can either disperse readily or stick around, reducing visibility on the earth’s surface and making it difficult to breathe. From a demonstration, they learn that long-term smoke episodes caused by inversions can be very harmful to human health - even though the smoke may benefit some plants. Finally, students they apply health guidelines regarding smoke to the problem of scheduling athletic practices on a smoky day.

Lesson Goal: Increase students’ understanding of smoke from wildland fires , how it disperses, and its effects on ecosystems on human health.

Objectives:

• Students can interpret information about air quality, dispersion, and visibility during a wildland fire.
• Students can recommend measures for protecting their own respiratory health and that of others.