Canberra's overall air quality compared with other capital cities is ''excellent'' but wood smoke is still a problem in winter, according to a new report.
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The 2010 ACT Air Quality Report was issued yesterday by the Environment and Sustainable Development Directorate.
It showed while wood smoke did not exceed accepted limits throughout the year, it still spiked during winter which was a concern.
Major hazard-reduction burns in NSW on two days in March which resulted in smoke blanketing the ACT were responsible for the two instances when the National Environment Protection (Ambient Air Quality) Measure standards were breached.
There were no breaches of the standard during the winter months as a result of wood heater emissions.
''Historical monitoring indicates that the only AAQ NEPM pollutant of concern in the Canberra airshed is particulate matter, which increases during winter because of emissions from domestic wood heaters. In more recent years exceedences of the particulate matter standard have also been recorded from dust storms and smoke from controlled burns,'' the report read.
It also acknowledged that Canberra's population had reached the stage where a second monitoring station - that met all standards - was needed.
ACT Health is responsible for monitoring Canberra's air quality.
There are two monitoring stations - at Monash just west of Cockcroft Avenue in the district playing fields and at Civic on the western side of the Olympic swimming pool.
The report said the Civic station was not in an ideal location for monitoring, failing five of the seven key measures needed to meet the Australian standard, including being within a minimum distance from the road and traffic.
The Tuggeranong Community Council has previously called for a second station in the Lanyon Valley to ''give a wider and more accurate picture of air pollution'' in the area.
It also wanted air pollution readings for Tuggeranong to be issued on a daily basis and reported in the Canberra media.
However, acting director of environment protection and water regulation Daniel Walters said a second station was likely to go in the growth areas of Gungahlin and Belconnen.
''The ACT Government acknowledges that wood smoke is a problem and is working towards addressing the issue in an informed and measured manner to ensure a satisfactory outcome for all Canberrans,'' he said.
Mr Walters said under the Wood Heater Replacement Program, 917 wood heaters had been removed from service since 2004.
The department was also planning to start a public awareness program soon.
The licensing of firewood merchants was also a priority.
The report also found that carbon monoxide levels in the ACT were well below the AAQ NEPM standard and because of both an improvement in vehicle emissions and a decline in wood heaters numbers, levels were trending down.
The highest recorded value of carbon monoxide in the ACT during 2010 was at Civic, but was still only 22 per cent of the standard.
A copy of the report is at www.environment.act.gov.au.
