What to know as wildfires envelop Michigan in smoke (again)

Once again, Michigan’s summer is enshrouded in lung-burning smoke as wildfires burn to the north and west
More than 800 wildfires are burning in Canada and more than 100 in the US, while a northerly wind pushes smoke to the Great Lakes
Get used to it: Runaway climate change and a century of misguided forest management have turned forests into tinderboxes

Like clockwork, Michigan and much of the surrounding region are once again engulfed in summer smoke as wind pushes air south from wildfires in Canada and northern Minnesota.

Detroit had the worst air quality of any major city in America Thursday morning, with an index of 698 – well above the 300-level threshold at which outdoor air quality is considered so poor it’s an emergency threat to public health.

Meanwhile, northern Michiganders were waking up to their second straight day of hazardous air quality, with thick smoke giving the sky an orange tint and filling the air with fine particles, ozone and other pollutants that harm the lungs and brain.

Some businesses are closing early as customers stay home. Community event cancellations are rolling in. And at least one sheriff’s office has received a rash of 911 calls from residents unsure what has caused the smoke.

Here’s what to know:

What’s happening?

More than 800 wildfires are burning in Canada, while more than 100 are burning in the US including 15 in northern Minnesota. So far this year, more than 9,200 square miles of land have burned in Canada, along with nearly 5,700 square miles in the US.

An air quality map — A federal air quality map shows Michigan in deep red as plumes of smoke from fires to the northwest envelop the region. (Courtesy of US Environmental Protection Agency)

A northerly wind is pushing smoke from Ontario and Minnesota to the south and east, with Michigan in the epicenter of the plume.

RELATED:

“We currently have high pressure to our southeast and low pressure to our northeast, so that’s bringing all that northwesterly flow and filtering all that smoke and air right into the Great Lakes region,” said Nicole Sprinkles, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Gaylord.

It’s a repeat of a scenario Michigan has seen again and again in recent years, filling the air with pollution that makes it unsafe to go outside.

What caused it?

Most of the wildfires burning in Canada and Minnesota were caused by lightning strikes in sparsely populated and heavily forested areas, where ignited blazes spread quickly and are difficult to extinguish because of difficult terrain and limited road access.

Most of those blazes are burning out of control, meaning the threat is not likely to subside anytime soon.

While summer wildfires have long been a fact of life in North America’s western and far northern regions, the recordbreaking blazes of recent history are a product of worsening climate change and generations of fire suppression practices that have backfired, leaving a buildup of kindling on the landscape.

“We can consider this a new normal,” said Paige Fischer, an associate professor at the University of Michigan who studies wildfire. “Will it happen every year? No, but will it continue to occur? I think we can expect that it will.”

Experts say the climate is the primary driver and the evergreen forests of the Western US, Canada and Russia are most affected. The United States is the world’s biggest contributor to that problem, having emitted more planet-warming greenhouse gases than any other country.

Warmer air is thawing the boreal permafrost, which is full of carbon-rich organic matter that burns easily when dried out. Meanwhile, earlier spring thaws are depriving forests of the moisture they need to withstand the dry summer months, while longer summers are extending the fire season.

Add on 100 years of forestry practices designed to prioritize timber harvests rather than forest health, and the result is a modern era of megafires.

North America’s forests evolved with fire, and some species literally need it to survive. But for generations, forestry policy in the US and Canada focused primarily on suppressing fires and maximizing timber harvests — a strategy that allowed dead branches and brush to build up on the landscape, loading forests with flammable material.

Some Republican lawmakers have sought to play up that aspect of the problem while ignoring climate change.

In a joint letter to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Michigan US Reps. Jack Bergman, John James, Lisa McClain and John Moolenaar wrote that “our patience has run out.”

“American lungs are paying the price for Canadian inaction,” they wrote in a letter that appeared to threaten “direct involvement” by the US in clearing brush and fighting fires in Canadian forests.

“Sovereignty comes with responsibility,” they wrote, “and the responsibility to prevent a foreseeable disaster from crossing into another country’s airspace has not been met.”

Others, such as US Ambassador to Canada (and Michigander) Pete Hoekstra have taken a more measured tone.

“I commend the outstanding cooperation between the United States and Canada as we confront these fires together,” Hoekstra said in a public statement. “Our two governments are monitoring and sharing information in real time — coordination that reflects our partnership at its best.”

How can I stay safe?

Fine particles (aka soot), ozone and other pollutants contained in wildfire smoke can harm the lungs, heart, brain and other organs.

Research has linked even short-term exposure to increased infant deaths, increased asthma hospitalization among children and increased hospital visits for lung disease and heart attacks.

Combine that with hot weather and the stress on the human body is even greater, said Dr. Avani Sheth, chief medical officer for Wayne County Health, Human & Veterans Services.

“The best way to protect yourself today is to stay indoors,” Sheth said in a release.

Children, pregnant people, adults aged 65 and older, outdoor workers and people with preexisting health conditions are particularly at risk, but conditions are so bad that virtually nobody should go outside unprotected if they can help it.

Those who can’t stay indoors — such as the homeless and outdoor workers — should avoid strenuous activities and wear a smoke-filtering mask like an N95.

When indoors, keep windows closed and, if you have the means, consider purchasing or building an air purifier and running an air conditioner equipped with filtration.

How long will it last?

This latest smoke event is expected to last through Friday, after which winds are expected to shift, blowing east-to-west.

Sprinkles said it may be only a temporary respite: “We kind of swing back over to that northwesterly flow after that system passes,” she said, adding, “We could be getting more smoke next week.”

The good news is, northerly winds are relatively rare in summertime, when Michigan’s prevailing winds blow from the west-southwest.

The bad news: The May-to-October season is only getting started, and Western states are coming off of an agonizingly lackluster winter that produced meager snowpack, meaning they, too, are vulnerable to massive blazes that could send smoke Michigan’s way.

Thank you to our Michigan Environment Watch sponsors

Bridge Michigan Environment Watch is made possible by generous financial support from our sponsors. Sponsorship supports our independent journalism mission but does not constitute sponsor endorsement of individual articles or editorial content. Bridge Michigan journalism remains fact- and data-driven and independent at all times.

Please visit the About page for more information and to subscribe to Environment Watch. Interested in becoming a sponsor? Contact Emma Carr.