SMOKE MANAGEMENT
FORECAST AND INSTRUCTIONS
SALEM FORESTRY
WEATHER CENTER
OREGON DEPARTMENT
OF FORESTRY
ISSUED:
Wednesday, December 3, 2025 2:30 PM Sherri Pugh
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* Special Protection Zone (SPZ) provisions apply from
November 15 through February 15.
Prescribed burning is not allowed in an SPZ from December 1 through
February 15 on days when the daily woodstove “Ordinance” is either “Red,”
“Exempt Wood Burning Device,” or “No Burning Period.” Burning is allowed inside of SPZs all other
days, but please use extra precautions and limit forestland burning to units
that will not worsen air quality within nearby SSRAs. *
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1. DISCUSSION AND FORECAST FOR THE WESTERN
OREGON AREA FORECAST ZONES 601-623 and 639
A gradual pattern change starts
Thursday as upper-level ridging flattens with NW flow aloft. Showers will increase from north to south
with less than 0.10” rain totals in the valley and 0.25” or more in higher elevations. Light surface winds will come from S-SW in northern
zones and be variable in southern zones.
Transport winds are expected from SW-NW.
Temperatures will be near to above seasonable. Mixing heights will be poor and burning near
SSRAs will be limited.
EXTENDED DISCUSSION
More rain arrives for Friday with 0.10”
in the valley and higher amounts for the coast and Cascades. Flow aloft will increase from NW with the
flattening upper-level ridge. Temperatures
will rise well above average and mixing heights will begin to improve. Surface winds will be from SW-W, lighter in
southern zones. Onshore transport winds
will be stronger to the north.
Showers and mountain snow last into
Saturday with freezing levels near 5000 feet north and 6000 feet south. Strong flow aloft will be from WNW. Temperatures stay well above average. Winds will come from SW-W, lighter in southern
zones. Mixing heights will be good.
More rain is likely Sunday, mostly north. Flow aloft will be from W. Winds will come from SSW-SW with well above
seasonable temperatures. Mixing heights
will rise high. Substantial rain is
expected in the week ahead.
2. DISPERSION
THURSDAY
Zone 601-612 and
639 (North Coast Range and Cascades):
MORNING
Mixing height
below 500 ft early rising to 1000 - 1900 ft by late morning.
Transport wind S
to SW at 4 - 8 mph.
Surface wind
light and variable but favors S-SW and controlled by local terrain.
AFTERNOON
Mixing height
1100 - 2100 ft.
Transport wind
SSW to WSW at 8 - 12 mph.
Surface wind similar to morning.
EVENING
Mixing height
lowers below 1000 ft.
Transport wind similar to afternoon.
Surface wind
increases to S to SW at 4 - 8 mph.
Zone 615-620
(South Coast Range):
MORNING
Mixing height
below 1000 ft.
Transport wind
light and variable and controlled by local terrain.
Surface wind
light and variable and controlled by local terrain.
AFTERNOON
Mixing height
1000 - 1700 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
becomes light and variable and controlled by local terrain.
Surface wind similar to afternoon.
Zone 616-623
(South Cascades):
MORNING
Mixing height
below 1000 ft.
Transport wind
light and variable and controlled by local terrain.
Surface wind
light and variable and controlled by local terrain.
AFTERNOON
Mixing height
1000 - 2000 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.
OUTLOOK:
FRIDAY
Mixing height
below 1000 ft early rising to 1600 to 2600 ft by late morning rising to 2300 to
3300 ft during the afternoon. Transport
wind SW to WSW at 9 - 15 mph during the morning becoming SW to W at 12 - 24 mph
during the afternoon. Surface wind SSW
to WSW at 4 - 8 mph.
SATURDAY
In the Coast
Range mixing height below 1000 ft early rising to 1900 to 2900 ft by late
morning and through the afternoon. In
the Cascades mixing height below 1000 ft early rising to 2600 to 3600 ft by
late morning and through the afternoon.
Transport wind SW to W at 8 - 14 mph.
Surface wind SW to W at 4 - 8 mph.
SUNDAY
Mixing height
below 1000 ft early rising to 2700 to 3700 ft by late morning rising to 3800 to
4800 ft during the afternoon. Transport
wind SSW to SW at 14 - 24 mph during the morning becoming SSW to WSW at 18 - 30
mph during the afternoon. Surface wind S
to SW at 6 - 10 mph.
3. BURNING INSTRUCTIONS FOR ALL ZONES IN THE
WESTERN OREGON AREA
- Valid for burning done Thursday, December
4, 2025.
=================================================================
Coast Range
***Avoid
ignitions before 10 a.m. in all zones.
Complete ignitions by 2:30 p.m. in all zones.***
Zone 601
Units should be
1000 tons or less, spaced 12 miles apart, and 12 miles from downwind
SSRAs. North of Tillamook, use standard
guidance matrix - see section 5 below.
Zone 602 and 603
Units should be
300 tons or less, spaced 12 miles apart, and 12 miles from downwind SSRAs. North of T3N in Zone 602, use standard
guidance matrix - see section 5 below.
Units may be 900 tons or less, spaced 12 miles apart, south of the
Siuslaw River in Zone 603.
Zone 612 and 616
east of R9W
Units should be
900 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 12 miles apart, and 12 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 12 miles apart, and 12 miles from downwind SSRAs. Higher tonnage is possible south of T35S -
call the forecaster.
Cascades
***Avoid
ignitions before 10 a.m. in all zones.
Complete ignitions by 2:30 p.m. in all zones.***
Zone 605, 606,
607, 608, 639, 610, 617, and 623
Use standard
guidance matrix - see section 5 below.
Ensure adequate distance from downwind SSRAs for smoke to dissipate.
Zone 611
Units should be
900 tons or less, spaced 12 miles apart, and 12 miles from downwind SSRAs.
Zone 616
Units should be
600 tons or less, spaced 12 miles apart, and 12 miles from downwind SSRAs.
Zone 620 and 622
Units should be
300 tons or less, spaced 12 miles apart, and 12 miles from downwind SSRAs.
Siskiyous
***Avoid
ignitions before 10 a.m. Complete ignitions by 2:30 p.m.***
Units should be
900 tons or less, spaced 12 miles apart, and 12 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.