13.2 Summary of changes in this NEI for fires

The 2023 NEI includes several different changes that involve source classification code changes, burn type method changes, emissions factor changes and tools used to generate emissions for the NEI. Here is a summary of the changes:

• The Bluesky Pipeline tool was used for the first time in the NEI to identify fuel types, consumption and emissions factors to use to estimate wildland fire emissions

• Emissions factors for wildland fires moved to using the Smoke Emissions Repository Application (SERA) emissions factors available in the Bluesky Pipeline tool

• New method introduced to estimate emissions from pile burns. Pile burning is a type of prescribed fire in which fuels are gathered into piles before burning. In this type of burning, individual piles are ignited separately.

• SCC changes included adding codes for wildland emissions by forest region and adding pile burns for prescribed burns and ditch burning on agricultural lands