Heavy Smoke in Redding Prompts Residents to Question Prescribed Burn Scheduling

REDDING, Calif. — Heavy smoke that settled over Redding on Thursday, November 12th, has residents raising concerns about air quality and asking whether prescribed burns across the area could be staggered to reduce the impact on surrounding communities.

North State Now previously reported on the smoky conditions associated with controlled burns in the area. Online discussions have since focused on how much burning takes place during the same period and what that means for people living under the resulting blanket of smoke.

“I would like to request that the burns be staggered and not burned all at once so that we can breathe,” one resident wrote.

The resident also expressed concern about wildlife and children spending time outdoors. In the post, the resident said others had reported seeing children playing outside in smoky conditions they described as unhealthy.

“Burn a reasonable amount. Wait for the next window. Burn another reasonable amount,” the resident wrote. “We do not need to be smoked out.”

An air quality map screenshot supplied to North State Now shows numerous elevated readings clustered around Redding and along the corridor to the north and south, with lower readings in some surrounding areas.

The concerns raise questions about how nearby burn operations are coordinated, how their combined smoke impacts are evaluated and whether smaller burns spread across additional days could reduce the burden on residents or if there should be a little more oversight in that area.

Sources: Resident comments and an air quality map screenshot supplied to North State Now; North State Now’s earlier reporting on Thursday’s smoke.