SMOKE MANAGEMENT
FORECAST AND INSTRUCTIONS
SALEM FORESTRY
WEATHER CENTER
OREGON DEPARTMENT
OF FORESTRY
ISSUED: Tuesday,
June 16, 2026
2:30 PM Sherri Pugh
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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
Wednesday will have
broad upper-level ridging and above average temperatures, though cooler than
earlier in the week. Skies stay dry with
low precipitation likelihood in the forecast period. Flow aloft will be from NW. Mixing heights will be fair to good. Winds are expected from NW-NNE.
EXTENDED DISCUSSION
Thursday will have a brief increase in
temperatures with light S flow under upper-level ridging. Winds will be light from NNW-NNE on the coast
and more variable inland. Mixing heights
will be lower with warmer air aloft.
Weak upper-level troughing will be
offshore on Friday with light SW flow aloft.
Temperatures cool some while remaining above seasonable. Winds will be from light W-NNW. Mixing heights will range from fair to good.
Saturday stays dry as the weak
upper-level trough shifts inland. Winds
are expected from W-NNW with near seasonable temperatures. Mixing heights continue fair
to good. Broad ridging returns early
next week.
2. DISPERSION
WEDNESDAY
Zone 601, 602,
603 and 612 (North Coast Range):
MORNING
Mixing height
below 500 ft early rising to 1300 - 2300 ft by late morning.
Transport wind
NNW to NNE at 8 - 12 mph.
Surface wind NW
to N at 4 - 8 mph.
AFTERNOON
Mixing height
2100 - 3100 ft.
Transport wind similar to morning.
Surface wind similar to morning.
EVENING
Mixing height
lowers below 1000 ft.
Transport wind NW
to N at 6 - 10 mph.
Surface wind similar to afternoon.
Zone 605-611 and
639 (North Cascades):
MORNING
Mixing height
below 500 ft early rising to 3300 - 4300 ft by late morning.
Transport wind NW
to N at 9 - 15 mph.
Surface wind WNW
to NNW at 4 - 8 mph.
AFTERNOON
Mixing height
3500 - 4500 ft.
Transport wind similar to morning.
Surface wind similar to morning.
EVENING
Mixing height
lowers below 1000 ft.
Transport wind NW
to N at 8 - 12 mph.
Surface wind NW
to N at 4 - 8 mph.
Zone 615-620
(South Coast Range):
MORNING
Mixing height
below 500 ft early rising to 2300 - 3300 ft by late morning.
Transport wind
NNE to ENE at 9 - 15 mph.
Surface wind N to
NE at 4 - 8 mph.
AFTERNOON
Mixing height
2500 - 3500 ft.
Transport wind similar to morning.
Surface wind NNW
to NNE at 4 - 8 mph.
EVENING
Mixing height
lowers below 1000 ft.
Transport wind NNW
to NNE at 8 - 12 mph.
Surface wind similar to afternoon.
Zone 616-623
(South Cascades):
MORNING
Mixing height
below 500 ft early rising to 2100 - 3100 ft by late morning.
Transport wind
NNW to NNE at 6 - 10 mph.
Surface wind NW
to N at 4 - 8 mph.
AFTERNOON
Mixing height
rising to 3300 - 4300 ft.
Transport wind similar to morning.
Surface wind similar to morning.
EVENING
Mixing height
lowers below 1000 ft.
Transport wind NW
to N at 6 - 10 mph.
Surface wind similar to afternoon.
OUTLOOK:
THURSDAY
Mixing height
below 1000 ft early rising to 1300 to 2300 ft by late morning rising to 2300 to
3300 ft during the afternoon. Transport
wind NE to E at 4 - 8 mph during the morning becoming
N to NE at 4 - 8 mph during the afternoon.
Surface wind light and variable.
FRIDAY
In the Coast
Range mixing height below 1000 ft early rising to 1000 to 1800 ft by late
morning and through the afternoon. In
the Cascades mixing height below 1000 ft early rising to 1800 to 2800 ft by
late morning rising to 3800 to 4800 ft during the afternoon. Transport wind light and variable during the
morning becoming W to NW at 4 - 8 mph during the afternoon. Surface wind light and variable.
SATURDAY
Mixing height below
1000 ft early rising to 1700 to 2700 ft by late morning rising to 2400 to 3400
ft during the afternoon. Transport wind
W to NW at 4 - 8 mph. Surface wind light
and variable during the morning becoming W to NNW at 4 - 8 mph during the
afternoon.
3. BURNING INSTRUCTIONS FOR ALL ZONES IN THE
WESTERN OREGON AREA
- Valid for burning done Wednesday, June
17, 2026.
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Coast Range
Zone 601 and 612
Units should be
1200 tons or less, spaced 12 miles apart, and 12 miles from downwind
SSRAs. Higher tonnage is possible south
of Waldport in Zone 612. Call the
forecaster.
Zone 602 and 603
Units should be
600 tons or less, spaced 12 miles apart, and 12 miles from downwind SSRAs. Limit tonnage north of Forest Grove/Hillsboro
or Sheridan/Willamina in Zone 602. Higher
tonnage is possible south of T17S in Zone 603.
Call the forecaster.
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,
607, 608, 639, 611, 617, and 623
Use standard
guidance matrix - see section 5 below.
Ensure adequate distance from downwind SSRAs for smoke to
dissipate. Verify transport winds away
from SSRA if burning within 10 miles of the SSRA in Zone 605 and 606. South of T30S in Zone 617 units should be 600
tons or less, spaced 8 miles apart.
Zone 610
Units should be
1200 tons or less, spaced 6 miles apart, and 8 miles from downwind SSRAs.
Zone 616
Units should be
1200 tons or less, spaced 8 miles apart, and 10 miles from downwind SSRAs. South of T30S units should be 600 tons or
less, spaced 8 miles apart.
Zone 620 and 622
Units should be 300
tons or less, spaced 8 miles apart, and 10 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.