Smoke from wood burning is made up of a complex mixture of gases and both coarse and fine particles (also called particulate pollution, particulate matter, or PM). Woodsmoke also contains several harmful air pollutants including benzene, formaldehyde, acrolein, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The health impacts of smoke exposure range from eye and respiratory tract irritation to more serious effects, including reduced lung function, bronchitis, asthma complications, harmful birth outcomes such as low birth weight, increased impacts on the heart, and premature death. A 2015 study in the American Journal of Public Health examined the health impacts of a program that required the reduction of residential wood burning when air quality was forecast to be poor. This study concluded that the resulting decrease in both fine and coarse particulate matter led to decreased hospitalization for cardiovascular disease, particularly in rural areas.
The Woodsmoke Reduction Program (Program) offers financial incentives for homeowners to replace old, inefficient, and highly polluting wood stoves, wood inserts, or fireplaces with cleaner burning and more efficient home heating devices. California residents using these types of devices as their primary heat source may be eligible for incentives towards the purchase and installation of qualifying devices. The incentive amounts vary depending on the location of the residence and the household income, with some households qualifying for the full replacement cost.
Senate Bill 563 established the Woodsmoke Reduction Program to promote the voluntary replacement of highly polluting wood-burning devices with cleaner and more efficient alternatives. The legislation also authorizes money from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF) to be appropriated for incentives offered as part of the Program. The Program is overseen by CARB and implemented by the California Air Pollution Control Officers Association (CAPCOA) in coordination with local air pollution control districts or air quality management districts (Districts). CAPCOA works with the Districts to determine how much funding will be available to each District participating in the Program.
The Woodsmoke Reduction Program is part of California Climate Investments (CCI), a Statewide program that puts billions of cap-and-trade dollars to work reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the economy and improving public health and the environment – particularly in disadvantaged communities.
Households using highly polluting, uncertified wood stoves or wood inserts or utilizing a fireplace as a primary heat source are eligible for an incentive towards replacing their old, uncertified device with a cleaner, more efficient heating device. The incentive amount will be determined by each District in coordination with CAPCOA. In order to determine if your device is uncertified and qualifies for this program, check the model against the U.S. EPA current and historical list of certified wood heaters. If the stove’s manufacturer and model is not on the current and historical lists, the stove is considered uncertified. Additional methods to check eligibility can be found in the Program Guidelines 2021-2022 Program Final Guidelines.
Below is a list of Air Pollution Control Districts currently participating in The Woodsmoke Reduction Program. Please click on the Air District associated with your county of residence for more information.
| Air District | Serving Counties |
| Butte County AQMD | Butte |
| Calaveras County APCD | Calaveras |
| Colusa County APCD | Colusa |
| Eastern Kern APCD | Eastern Portion of Kern |
| Feather River AQMD | Sutter and Yuba |
| Glenn County APCD | Glenn |
| Great Basin Unified APCD | Alpine, Inyo, and Mono |
| Imperial County APCD | Imperial |
| Lake County AQMD | Lake |
| Lassen County APCD | Lassen |
| Mariposa County APCD | Mariposa |
| Mendocino County AQMD | Mendocino |
| Monterey Bay ARD | Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Cruz |
| North Coast Unified AQMD | Del Norte, Humbolt, and Trinity |
| Northern Sierra AQMD | Nevada, Plumas, and Sierra |
| Northern Sonoma County APCD | Northern Portion of Sonoma |
| Placer County APCD | Placer |
| San Luis Obispo APCD | San Luis Obispo |
| Santa Barbara County APCD | Santa Barbara |
| Shasta County APCD | Shasta |
| Siskiyou County APCD | Siskiyou |
| Tehama County APCD | Tehama |
| Tuolumne County APCD | Tuolumne |
| Yolo-Solano AQMD | Yolo and Eastern Portion of Solano |