The key to reducing summertime wildfire smoke in the American West could entail a bit more smoke in springtime. According to a new study published this month in the journal Earth’s Future, Northern California and the western Cascades of Oregon and Washington produce most of the wildfire smoke in the West. The smoke generated by large fires in those areas constitutes most of the haze affecting both large population centers across the West. …Environmental justice communities often disproportionately bear the brunt of environmental hazards and are less equipped to address them, which leads to more negative health care outcomes than in other wealthier, whiter communities. The study suggests that strategic application of large prescribed burns — 1,000 acres or greater — in the areas most responsible for the West’s wildfire smoke could significantly reduce seasonal wildfire smoke in both the Pacific Coast source states and the rest of the West.