SMOKE MANAGEMENT
FORECAST AND INSTRUCTIONS
SALEM FORESTRY
WEATHER CENTER
OREGON DEPARTMENT
OF FORESTRY
ISSUED: Tuesday,
June 2, 2026
2:30 PM Gary Votaw
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We
Need Your Feedback!
The Smoke Management
Department is planning to “upgrade” this product so that it more effectively
meets your needs. To assist us with this project, we are requesting
feedback from you!
Below are a few questions
to help you consider what changes would be most beneficial for
you. All ideas are welcome!
Is the “Short-Term
Discussion” useful? What would enhance it?
Is the “Long-term
Discussion” useful? What would enhance it?
How could the “Dispersion”
forecast better meet your needs?
Is the “Outlook”
useful? What would enhance it?
Are the “Burning
Instructions” clear and concise? How could they be improved for your
use?
How do you access the
forecast product (i.e., Email; web page; telephone recording)?
We are considering
discontinuing or upgrading the phone recording of the forecast
product. Is that something you currently use? Would you
use it if you could get your specific forecast from it faster?
Please Email your feedback
to: Peter.GJ.Parsons@odf.oregon.gov
Thank you!
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1. DISCUSSION AND
FORECAST FOR THE WESTERN OREGON AREA FORECAST ZONES 601-623 and 639
SHORT-TERM
DISCUSSION
EXTENDED DISCUSSION
West flow aloft and a very weak ridge brings mostly
sunny skies on Thursday, raising temperatures only a little. Daytime mixing should again be good with
very light W-NNW winds.
Another weak Pacific system will be centered on the
coast on both Friday and Saturday.
Partly to mostly sunny skies will see a few showers in the north half of
the region, less than .10” each day, with temperatures below average. Daytime mixing will remain good on both days with W-NW winds.
2. DISPERSION
WEDNESDAY
Zone 601, 602,
603 and 612 (North Coast Range):
MORNING
Mixing height
3000 - 4000 ft.
Transport wind SW
to W at 6 - 10 mph.
Surface wind
light and variable and controlled by local terrain.
AFTERNOON
Mixing height
3900 - 4900 ft.
Transport wind
WSW to WNW at 9 - 15 mph.
Surface wind
increases to WSW to NW at 4 - 8 mph.
EVENING
Mixing height
3200 - 4200 ft.
Transport wind WNW
to NW at 10 - 16 mph.
Surface wind similar to afternoon.
Zone 605-611 and
639 (North Cascades):
MORNING
Mixing height
3600 - 4600 ft.
Transport wind SW
to W at 10 - 16 mph.
Surface wind
light and variable and controlled by local terrain.
AFTERNOON
Mixing height
above 5000 ft.
Transport wind
WSW to W at 12 - 22 mph.
Surface wind
increases to SW to WNW at 5 - 9 mph.
EVENING
Mixing height
4300 - 5000 ft.
Transport wind
WSW to WNW at 10 - 16 mph.
Surface wind similar to afternoon.
Zone 615-620
(South Coast Range):
MORNING
Mixing height
2000 - 3000 ft.
Transport wind SW
to WNW at 6 - 10 mph.
Surface wind
light and variable and controlled by local terrain.
AFTERNOON
Mixing height
rising to 3200 - 4200 ft.
Transport wind WNW
to NW at 8 - 12 mph.
Surface wind
increases to WSW to NW at 5 - 9 mph.
EVENING
Mixing height
3100 - 4100 ft.
Transport wind
WNW to NNW at 8 - 12 mph.
Surface wind WNW
to NNW at 8 - 12 mph.
Zone 616-623
(South Cascades):
MORNING
Mixing height
3000 - 4000 ft.
Transport
wind WSW to NW at 6 - 10
mph.
Surface wind
light and variable and controlled by local terrain.
AFTERNOON
Mixing height
rising above 5000 ft.
Transport wind similar to morning.
Surface wind
increases to WSW to WNW at 4 - 8 mph.
EVENING
Mixing height
3800 - 4800 ft.
Transport wind
shifts to WNW to NNW at 6 - 12 mph.
Surface wind W to
NW at 4 - 8 mph.
OUTLOOK:
THURSDAY
In the north mixing
height 2600 to 3600 ft during the morning rising above 5000 ft during the
afternoon. In the south mixing height
1700 to 2700 ft during the morning rising to 4000 to 5000 ft during the
afternoon. Transport wind NW to N at 4 -
8 mph during the morning becoming W to NNW at 6 - 10 mph during the
afternoon. Surface wind light and
variable.
FRIDAY
In the north
mixing height below 1000 ft early rising to 2200 to 3200 ft by late morning
rising above 5000 ft during the afternoon.
In the south mixing height below 1000 ft early rising to 1500 to 2500 ft
by late morning rising to 3800 to 4800 ft during the afternoon. Transport wind WSW
to WNW at 8 - 12 mph during the morning becoming W to WNW at 10 - 22 mph during
the afternoon. Surface wind SW to W at 4
- 8 mph.
SATURDAY
In the north
mixing height 4200 to 5000 ft during the morning rising above 5000 ft during
the afternoon. In the south mixing
height 2600 to 3600 ft during the morning rising to 4000 to 5000 ft during the
afternoon. Transport wind W to NW at 6 -
10 mph. Surface wind light and variable
during the morning becoming W to NW at 8 - 12 mph during the afternoon.
3. BURNING
INSTRUCTIONS FOR ALL ZONES IN THE WESTERN OREGON AREA
- Valid for burning done Wednesday, June 3,
2026.
=================================================================
Coast Range
Zone 601 and 612
Units should be
1000 tons or less, spaced 6 miles apart, and 8 miles from downwind SSRAs. Restrict units in or near corridors to 500
tons or less. North of Tillamook in Zone
601, use standard guidance matrix. (See section 5 below.)
Zone 602 and 603
Units should be
400 tons or less, spaced 6 miles apart, and 8 miles from downwind SSRAs. North of T3N in Zone 602, use standard
guidance matrix. (See section 5 below.)
Limit burning in or near corridors.
Units may be 500 tons or less, spaced 6 miles apart, south of the
Siuslaw River in Zone 603.
Zone 615 and 616
west of R8W
Units should be
1200 tons or less, spaced 8 miles apart, and 10 miles from downwind SSRAs.
Zone 616 east of
R9W
Units should be
750 tons or less, spaced 8 miles apart, and 10 miles from downwind SSRAs.
Zone 618 and 619
Use standard
guidance matrix. (See section 5 below.)
Zone 620
Units should be 300
tons or less, spaced 8 miles apart, and 10 miles from downwind SSRAs. Higher tonnage is possible south of
T35S. Call the forecaster.
Cascades
All zones except
Zone 610 and 611
Use standard
guidance matrix - see section 5 below.
Ensure adequate distance from downwind SSRAs for smoke to
dissipate. From T15S through T20S in
Zone 608 units should be 1200 tons or less, spaced 3 miles apart.
Zone 610
Units should be
1200 tons or less, spaced 3 miles apart, and 5 miles from downwind SSRAs.
Zone 611
Units should be
1500 tons or less, spaced 3 miles apart, and 5 miles from downwind SSRAs.
Siskiyous
Units should be
1500 tons or less, spaced 3 miles apart, and 5 miles from downwind SSRAs.
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4. SPECIAL NOTES:
The ODF forecast
smoke zones differ from the NWS fire zones and
are available at:
https://www.oregon.gov/odf/fire/documents/smoke-forecast-zone-map.pdf
Call the smoke management duty forecaster
at (503) 945-7401 to
discuss burning. Please do not call individual's numbers to
discuss daily burning. If the forecaster is
not available,
leave a message and they will return your
call as soon as possible.
Avoid calling between 1:30 to 2:45 p.m.
The forecast is available on the Internet
at:
http://www.odf.state.or.us/DIVISIONS/protection/fire_protection/
Daily/smi.htm
Please ensure your units have been planned
and accomplished by
checking:
http://www.oregon.gov/ODF/Fire/Pages/Burn.aspx
A map of planned and/or accomplished burns
is located at:
http://geo.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html
?id=a7e321dc8fc444b7a33fbc67bc673a3b
The forecast/instruction telephone
recording is: (503) 945-7400.
To subscribe to or unsubscribe from the
email list for this
product, please go to the link:
http://weather.smkmgt.com/mailman/listinfo/
5. STANDARD GUIDANCE
MATRIX:
* Greater than 5000 ft mixing height: Limit
to 150 tons per mile
from downwind SSRAs. Example: 75 tons
allowed if burned a half
mile from a downwind SSRA.
* 3000 - 5000 ft mixing height: Limit to 50
tons per mile if burning
within 5 miles of downwind SSRAs. Limit to
100 tons per mile if
burning 5 miles or beyond downwind SSRAs.
Example #1: 200 tons allowed if burned 4
miles from a downwind SSRA.
Example #2: 500 tons allowed if burned 5
miles from a downwind SSRA.
* Less than 3000 ft mixing height: No burning
within 5 miles of
downwind SSRAs. Limit to 60 tons per mile
from downwind SSRAs.
Example: 300 tons allowed if burned 5 miles
from a downwind SSRA.
* Ensure adequate spacing between units when
burning near downwind
SSRAs.
* Use of polyethylene (PE) sheeting on
greater than 75 percent of
piles in a unit with 60 percent coverage
per pile will allow a
50 percent increase in tonnage over the
existing instruction tonnage
for that zone.
* All exceptions must be coordinated with the
duty forecaster
prior to ignition.
6. BURN MONITORING:
Burns over 2000 tons must be monitored (OAR
629-048-0230(3) -
7/1/14). Monitoring of all burns is highly
recommended for both
smoke management purposes and wildfire
potential.