SMOKE MANAGEMENT
FORECAST AND INSTRUCTIONS
SALEM FORESTRY
WEATHER CENTER
OREGON DEPARTMENT
OF FORESTRY
ISSUED: Friday,
December 19, 2025
2:30 PM Pete Parsons
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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
SHORT-TERM DISCUSSION
The strong atmospheric river that dumped substantial rain
across all zones over the past 24 hours is weakening and shifting south of the
state this afternoon. It is being replaced
by a cooler and showery air mass, which will lower snow levels to about 2500
feet north and 3500 feet south tonight. Most
of the shower activity will be focused across the northern zones overnight with
areas of dense fog possible in the southern valleys.
Scattered showers will continue across the north on Saturday
with just a chance of showers south, after areas of morning valley fog. Snow levels will rise to 3000 feet north and
4500 feet south. Mixing will be good in the
north but just fair in the south with S-SW winds.
A strong SW flow aloft will bring another weather system
onshore Saturday night and Sunday for increasing areas of rain and mountain
snow across all zones. Expect precipitation
totals mostly between .25” and .50”. Snow
levels will be 3-4000 feet north and 4-5000 feet south. Mixing should be good with mostly SW transport
winds.
EXTENDED DISCUSSION
Another weather comes ashore on Monday for continued areas
of rain and mountain snow. Snow levels
drop to near 3000 feet north and 4000 feet south. Precipitation totals should be slightly lower
with this storm, but mixing will be excellent with mostly SW transport winds.
The flow aloft is projected to turn more southerly on
Tuesday, which will continue to feed moisture across the region with slightly
higher snow levels. Warming aloft will
begin to suppress mixing with transport winds becoming SE-S.
2. DISPERSION
SATURDAY
Zone 601-612 and
639 (North Coast Range and Cascades):
MORNING
Mixing height
2500 - 3500 ft.
Transport wind S
to SW at 10 - 20 mph.
Surface wind SSE
to SSW at 8 - 12 mph.
AFTERNOON
Mixing height
rising above 5000 ft.
Transport wind
SSW to SW at 15 - 25 mph.
Surface wind similar to morning.
EVENING
Mixing height
2000 - 3000 ft.
Transport wind
SSE to SSW at 10 - 20 mph.
Surface wind SSE
to SSW at 5 - 9 mph.
Zone 615-620
(South Coast Range):
MORNING
Mixing height
below 1500 ft early rising to 1800 - 2800 ft by late morning.
Transport wind
SSE to SSW at 6 - 10 mph.
Surface wind SE
to S at 4 - 8 mph.
AFTERNOON
Mixing height
rising to 3500 - 4500 ft.
Transport wind S
to SW at 8 - 12 mph.
Surface wind SSE
to SW at 5 - 9 mph.
EVENING
Mixing height
2000 - 3000 ft.
Transport wind
SSE to SSW at 8 - 12 mph.
Surface wind SE
to SSW at 4 - 8 mph.
Zone 616-623
(South Cascades):
MORNING
Mixing height
below 1500 ft early rising to 1500 - 2500 ft by late morning.
Transport wind SE
to SSW at 4 - 8 mph.
Surface wind
light and variable but favors SE to S and controlled by local terrain.
AFTERNOON
Mixing height
2500 - 3500 ft.
Transport wind
SSE to SW at 6 - 10 mph.
Surface wind
increases to SSE to SW at 4 - 8 mph.
EVENING
Mixing height
2000 - 3000 ft.
Transport wind similar to afternoon.
Surface wind similar to afternoon.
OUTLOOK:
SUNDAY
Mixing height
2000 to 3000 ft during the morning rising to 3900 to 4900 ft during the
afternoon. Transport wind SSE to SSW at
8 - 14 mph during the morning becoming SSW to SW at 12 - 22 mph during the
afternoon. Surface wind SE to SSW at 6 -
10 mph.
MONDAY
Mixing height
3000 to 4000 ft during the morning rising above 5000 ft during the
afternoon. Transport wind S to SW at 14
- 28 mph. Surface wind SSE to SSW at 9 -
15 mph.
TUESDAY
Mixing height
1400 to 2400 ft during the morning rising to 2800 to 3800 ft during the
afternoon. Transport wind SSE to SSW at
8 - 12 mph. Surface wind SE to S at 5 -
9 mph.
3. BURNING
INSTRUCTIONS FOR ALL ZONES IN THE WESTERN OREGON AREA
- Valid for burning done Saturday through
Monday, December 20 through 22, 2025.
=================================================================
For Saturday:
Coast Range
***Avoid
ignitions before 10 a.m. in Zone 615, 616, 618, 619 and 620.***
All Zones
Use standard
guidance matrix - see section 5 below.
Ensure adequate distance from downwind SSRAs for smoke to dissipate.
Cascades
***Avoid
ignitions before 10 a.m. in Zone 616, 617, 620, 622 and 623.***
Zone 605, 606,
607, 608, 639, 610, 617, 620, 622, 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
1500 tons or less, spaced 3 miles apart, and 5 miles from downwind SSRAs.
Zone 616
Units should be
1000 tons or less, spaced 8 miles apart, and 10 miles from downwind SSRAs. Avoid ignitions north of T24S. South of T29S higher tonnage is possible -
call the forecaster.
Siskiyous
***Avoid
ignitions before 10 a.m.***
Units should be
900 tons or less, spaced 8 miles apart, and 10 miles from downwind SSRAs.
For Sunday:
Coast Range
All Zones
Use standard
guidance matrix - see section 5 below.
Ensure adequate distance from downwind SSRAs for smoke to dissipate.
Cascades
All zones except
zone 611
Use standard
guidance matrix - see section 5 below.
Ensure adequate distance from downwind SSRAs for smoke to
dissipate. Avoid ignitions north of T24S
in Zone 616.
Zone 611
Units should be
1500 tons or less, spaced 6 miles apart, and 8 miles from downwind SSRAs.
Siskiyous
Units should be
900 tons or less, spaced 8 miles apart, and 10 miles from downwind SSRAs.
For Monday:
Coast Range
All Zones
Use standard
guidance matrix - see section 5 below.
Ensure adequate distance from downwind SSRAs for smoke to dissipate.
Cascades
All zones except
zone 611
Use standard
guidance matrix - see section 5 below.
Ensure adequate distance from downwind SSRAs for smoke to
dissipate. Avoid ignitions north of T24S
in Zone 616.
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.