SMOKE MANAGEMENT
FORECAST AND INSTRUCTIONS
SALEM FORESTRY
WEATHER CENTER
OREGON DEPARTMENT
OF FORESTRY
ISSUED:
Wednesday, June 3, 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
A weak Pacific system slowly approaches the coast on
both Friday and Saturday. Skies will be
partly sunny north to mostly sunny south as temperatures are 5-10oF
below average. A few showers in the
north cause less than .10” each day. SW
flow aloft helps cause very good mixing conditions on both days with light SW-NW
winds.
Weak NW flow aloft returns Sunday to cause mostly sunny
and seasonal conditions, very good mixing and W-NW winds.
2. DISPERSION
THURSDAY
Zone 601, 602,
603 and 612 (North Coast Range):
MORNING
Mixing height
2800 - 3800 ft.
Transport wind
light and variable and controlled by local terrain.
Surface wind
light and variable and controlled by local terrain.
AFTERNOON
Mixing height
3300 - 4300 ft.
Transport wind
increases to W to NW at 4 - 8 mph.
Surface wind similar to morning.
EVENING
Mixing height
1000 - 2000 ft.
Transport wind
increases to WNW to NNW at 9 - 15 mph.
Surface wind
increases to W to NW at 4 - 8 mph.
Zone 605-611 and
639 (North Cascades):
MORNING
Mixing height
2300 - 3300 ft.
Transport
wind WSW to WNW at 5 - 9
mph.
Surface wind
light and variable and controlled by local terrain.
AFTERNOON
Mixing height
rising to 4300 - 5000 ft.
Transport wind similar to morning.
Surface wind similar to morning.
EVENING
Mixing height
1000 - 1700 ft.
Transport wind similar to afternoon.
Surface wind
increases to WSW to WNW at 4 - 8 mph.
Zone 615-620
(South Coast Range):
MORNING
Mixing height
2000 - 3000 ft.
Transport wind N
to NE at 4 - 8 mph.
Surface wind
light and variable and controlled by local terrain.
AFTERNOON
Mixing height
rising to 3400 - 4400 ft.
Transport wind
shifts to NW to N at 6 - 10 mph.
Surface wind
increases to NW to N at 5 - 9 mph.
EVENING
Mixing height
1000 - 1800 ft.
Transport wind
WNW to NW at 9 - 15 mph.
Surface wind W to
NW at 6 - 10 mph.
Zone 616-623
(South Cascades):
MORNING
Mixing height
2500 - 3500 ft.
Transport wind
WNW to NNW at 4 - 8 mph.
Surface wind
light and variable and controlled by local terrain.
AFTERNOON
Mixing height
rising to 4300 - 5000 ft.
Transport wind similar to morning.
Surface wind similar to morning.
EVENING
Mixing height
3000 - 4000 ft.
Transport wind
WNW to NNW at 8 - 12 mph.
Surface wind
increases to W to NW at 4 - 8 mph.
OUTLOOK:
FRIDAY
Mixing height
below 1000 ft early rising to 2600 to 3600 ft by late morning rising to 4200 to
5000 ft during the afternoon. Transport
wind SW to WNW at 6 - 12 mph during the morning becoming SW to W at 10 - 18 mph
during the afternoon. Surface wind light
and variable during the morning becoming WSW to NW at 5 - 9 mph during the
afternoon.
SATURDAY
In the north
mixing height 4000 to 5000 ft during the morning rising above 5000 ft during
the afternoon. In the south mixing
height 2800 to 3800 ft during the morning rising to 4000 to 5000 ft during the
afternoon. Transport wind SW to WNW at 6
- 12 mph during the morning becoming WNW to NW at 10 - 16 mph during the
afternoon. Surface wind WSW to WNW at 4
- 8 mph.
SUNDAY
Mixing height
below 1000 ft early rising to 3600 to 4600 ft by late morning rising above 5000
ft during the afternoon. Transport wind
W to NNW at 4 - 8 mph. Surface wind
light and variable during the morning becoming W to NW at 4 - 8 mph during the
afternoon.
3. BURNING
INSTRUCTIONS FOR ALL ZONES IN THE WESTERN OREGON AREA
- Valid for burning done Thursday, June 4,
2026.
=================================================================
Coast Range
Zone 601, 612,
and 616 east of R9W
Units should be
1000 tons or less, spaced 8 miles apart, and 10 miles from downwind SSRAs. Restrict units in or near corridors to 500
tons or less. Restrict units to 500 tons
or less south of T30S in Zone 616.
Zone 602 and 603
Units should be
400 tons or less, spaced 8 miles apart, and 10 miles from downwind SSRAs. Limit burning in or near corridors. Higher tonnage is possible south of the
Siuslaw River in Zone 603. Call the
forecaster.
Zone 615, 618,
and 619
Use standard
guidance matrix. (See section 5 below.)
Avoid burning directly upwind of the North Bend/Coos Bay SSRA.
Zone 616 west of
R8W
Units should be
1500 tons or less, spaced 8 miles apart, and 10 miles from downwind SSRAs.
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 the Rogue
River. Call the forecaster.
Cascades
Zone 605, 606,
607, 608, 639, 616, 617, and 623
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 6 miles apart.
Zone 610 and 622
Units should be
1200 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.
Zone 611
Units should be
1500 tons or less, spaced 6 miles apart, and 8 miles from downwind SSRAs.
Zone 620
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.
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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.