Improving Estimates of Prescribed Fire Smoke: Insights From a Novel Southeastern US Burn Permit Geodatabase

The southeastern US accounts for over 60% of national prescribed (Rx) burning acreage and relies on Rx fire to reduce wildfire risk and sustain forest biodiversity. While ecologically beneficial, Rx fires may introduce smoke‐related risks to surrounding communities. Using a burn permit geodatabase integrated with atmospheric, emissions, and chemical transport models, we estimated daily fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) attributable to the reported 2017–2019 Rx burns in Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina. Rx fires across this region contributed 1.39 ± 0.57 μg/m 3 to daily PM 2.5 , increasing to 3.24 ± 1.45 μg/m 3 (37% of total PM 2.5 ) during the January–April high‐burn season. Integrating permit data with air quality modeling improved smoke estimates relative to satellite‐based inventories in some regional and seasonal comparisons. Our framework refines Rx fire smoke exposure assessment and can inform state‐specific smoke management and public health planning.