1. Smoke Management
  2. ยปAbout Us

Kansas Flint Hills Smoke Management

map of flint hills

About Us

The development of the Flint Hills Smoke Management Plan is an attempt to balance the need for prescribed fire in the Flint Hills with the need for clean air in downwind communities. The plan does not include any provisions that restrict the burning of grasslands in the Flint Hills.

Instead, the plan takes a voluntary approach toward improving air quality during the burn season. The plan's voluntary approach leaves flexibility in the hands of the land manager but also puts the responsibility on him or her to make wise decisions.

The plan and website are cooperative efforts of countless persons with many perspectives on Flint Hills burning. We encourage land managers to use the site and to provide us feedback on organization, content, ease of use, and ways in which the site can be improved for the next burn season.

Smoke Management Plan - Kansas Department of Health and Environment Bureau of Air (PDF)

Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) Kansas Flint Hills Smoke Management Plan Sub-committee

  • City of Wichita, Office of Environmental Initiatives
  • Environmental Protection Agency Region 7 (EPA)
  • Johnson County Environmental Services
  • Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE)
  • Kansas Farm Bureau
  • Kansas Forest Service
  • Kansas Livestock Association
  • Kansas Prescribed Fire Council
  • Kansas State University
  • Natural Resources Conservation Services (NRCS)
  • Ranchers of Kansas
  • Tall Grass Legacy Alliance/Greenwood County Extension
  • The Nature Conservancy in Kansas

History of the plan

In 2010, the Smoke Management sub-committee was formed to write a smoke management plan for the Flint Hills. For more information on the plan development process see Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) Smoke Management.