SMOKE MANAGEMENT
FORECAST AND INSTRUCTIONS
SALEM FORESTRY
WEATHER CENTER
OREGON DEPARTMENT
OF FORESTRY
ISSUED: Monday,
October 12, 2026
2:30 PM Gary Votaw
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Information
Regarding Smoke Management Forecasts/Instructions:
Like last year, the
forecast office will be staffed Monday – Friday from 7 a.m. until 5 p.m.
(closed on weekends and state holidays).
There will be significant
changes this season (details below):
Written forecasts will be
issued in the afternoons (like before) but only on Mondays, Wednesdays, and
Fridays unless updates are needed. Forecasts will include burning
instructions for multiple days.
The forecast phone
recording at 503-945-7400 has been discontinued.
Please continue to call
the ODF forecast office at 503-945-7401 with questions or for special smoke
clearance through October. Beginning in November, those calls should be
made to your local ODF field office (details on that to follow).
Thank you!
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1. DISCUSSION AND
FORECAST FOR THE WESTERN OREGON AREA FORECAST ZONES 601-623 and 639
SHORT-TERM
DISCUSSION
An upper-level ridge will
be over the region on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Expect it to inhibit rising mixing heights on both days, especially in
the north, then falling quickly during the evenings. Winds will be light and variable, favoring
W-NW on Tuesday then mainly N for Wednesday.
EXTENDED DISCUSSION
The ridge persists on Thursday
and Friday causing mixing heights to recover only to moderate levels in the
afternoons. Look for light offshore
winds on Thursday then light and variable Friday.
Over the
weekend the ridge begins to yield to a pair of troughs approaching from the
west. Rain becomes likely for much of
the region by the end of the weekend.
2. DISPERSION
TUESDAY
Zone 601, 602,
603 and 612 (North Coast Range):
MORNING
Mixing height below
1000 ft early rising to 1000 - 1800 ft.
Transport wind
light and variable and controlled by local terrain.
Surface wind
light and variable and controlled by local terrain.
AFTERNOON
Mixing height
rising to 2000 - 3000 ft.
Transport wind similar to morning.
Surface wind similar to morning.
EVENING
Mixing height
lowers below 1000 ft.
Transport wind similar to afternoon.
Surface wind similar to afternoon.
Zone 605-611 and
639 (North Cascades):
MORNING
Mixing height below
1000 ft early rising to 1300 - 2300 ft.
Transport wind
light and variable and controlled by local terrain.
Surface wind
light and variable and controlled by local terrain.
AFTERNOON
Mixing height
rising to 3000 - 4000 ft.
Transport wind
increases to W to NW at 4 - 8 mph.
Surface wind similar to morning.
EVENING
Mixing height
lowers below 1000 ft.
Transport wind
becomes light and variable and controlled by local terrain.
Surface wind similar to afternoon.
Zone 615-620
(South Coast Range):
MORNING
Mixing height below
1000 ft early rising to 1200 - 2200 ft.
Transport wind
light and variable and controlled by local terrain.
Surface wind
light and variable and controlled by local terrain.
AFTERNOON
Mixing height
rising to 3200 - 4200 ft.
Transport wind similar to morning.
Surface wind similar to morning.
EVENING
Mixing height
lowers below 1000 ft.
Transport wind
increases to NNW to NNE at 5 - 9 mph.
Surface wind similar to afternoon.
Zone 616-623
(South Cascades):
MORNING
Mixing height below
1000 ft early rising to 1500 - 2500 ft.
Transport wind
light and variable and controlled by local terrain.
Surface wind
light and variable and controlled by local terrain.
AFTERNOON
Mixing height
rising to 3700 - 4700 ft.
Transport wind
increases to WNW to NNW at 4 - 8 mph.
Surface wind similar to morning.
EVENING
Mixing height
lowers below 1000 ft.
Transport wind NW
to N at 4 - 8 mph.
Surface wind similar to afternoon.
OUTLOOK:
WEDNESDAY
Mixing height
below 1000 ft early rising to 1600 to 2600 ft by late morning rising to 3300 to
4300 ft during the afternoon. Transport
wind light and variable during the morning becoming NNW to NNE at 5 - 9 mph
during the afternoon. Surface wind light
and variable.
THURSDAY
Mixing height
below 1000 ft early rising to 1400 to 2400 ft by late morning rising to 3000 to
4000 ft during the afternoon. Transport
wind ESE to SSE at 5 - 9 mph. Surface
wind light and variable during the morning becoming NE to E
at 4 - 8 mph during the afternoon.
FRIDAY
Mixing height
below 1000 ft early rising to 1000 to 1800 ft by late morning rising to 3200 to
4200 ft during the afternoon. Transport
wind light and variable. Surface wind
light and variable.
3. BURNING INSTRUCTIONS
FOR ALL ZONES IN THE WESTERN OREGON AREA
- Valid for burning done Tuesday and
Wednesday, October 13 and 14, 2026.
=================================================================
For Tuesday:
Coast Range
Zone 601 and 612
Units should be
900 tons or less, spaced 12 miles apart, and 12 miles from downwind SSRAs.
Zone 602 and 603
Units should be
300 tons or less, spaced 12 miles apart, and 12 miles from downwind SSRAs.
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
900 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
600 tons or less, spaced 8 miles apart, and 10 miles from downwind SSRAs.
Cascades
Zone 605, 606,
607, 608, 639, 611, 616, 617, and 623
Use standard
guidance matrix - see section 5 below.
Ensure adequate distance from downwind SSRAs for smoke to dissipate.
Zone 610
Units should be
900 tons or less, spaced 8 miles apart, and 10 miles from downwind SSRAs.
Zone 620 and 622
Units should be
750 tons or less, spaced 6 miles apart, and 8 miles from downwind SSRAs. East of R2W in Zone 622, use standard
guidance matrix - see section 5 below.
Siskiyous
Use standard
guidance matrix - see section 5 below. Ensure adequate distance from downwind
SSRAs for smoke to dissipate.
:
Coast Range
Zone 601
Units should be
900 tons or less, spaced 8 miles apart, and 10 miles from downwind SSRAs.
Zone 602 and 603
Units should be
300 tons or less, spaced 8 miles apart, and 10 miles from downwind SSRAs.
Zone 612
Units should be
1000 tons or less, spaced 8 miles apart, and 10 miles from downwind SSRAs.
Zone 615, 616,
618, 619, and 620
Use standard
guidance matrix - see section 5 below.
Avoid burning directly upwind of the North Bend/Coos Bay SSRA.
Cascades
Zone 605, 606,
and 610
Units should be
1200 tons or less, spaced 6 miles apart, and 8 miles from downwind SSRAs. Verify transport winds away from SSRA if
burning within 10 miles of the SSRA in Zone 605 and 606.
Zone 607, 608,
639, 611, 616, 617, and 623
Use standard
guidance matrix - see section 5 below.
Ensure adequate distance from downwind SSRAs for smoke to dissipate.
Zone 620 and 622
Units should be
750 tons or less, spaced 6 miles apart, and 8 miles from downwind SSRAs.
Siskiyous
Use standard
guidance matrix - see section 5 below. Ensure adequate distance from downwind
SSRAs for smoke to dissipate.
==============================================================
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
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.