SMOKE MANAGEMENT
FORECAST AND INSTRUCTIONS
SALEM FORESTRY
WEATHER CENTER
OREGON DEPARTMENT
OF FORESTRY
ISSUED:
Wednesday, June 10, 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
A dry and warming pattern begins on
Thursday. Flow aloft will be from NW with
a potent upper-level ridge offshore.
Temperatures will warm above seasonable and mixing heights will be fair
to good. Surface winds will be from N for
coastal zones and variable for Cascades zones.
Transport winds will come from NW-NNE.
EXTENDED DISCUSSION
Friday will have
light NW flow aloft with ridging offshore.
Winds will come from NW-N.
Temperatures stay above average and mixing height will be fair to good.
Temperatures rise
well above average on Saturday and Sunday with light N flow aloft and
increasing influence from upper-level ridging.
Mixing heights will be high.
Winds will come from N-NE on Saturday and from N-E on Sunday.
2. DISPERSION
THURSDAY
Zone 601, 602,
603 and 612 (North Coast Range):
MORNING
Mixing height
below 500 ft early rising to 2000 - 3000 ft by late morning.
Transport wind NW
to N at 4 - 8 mph.
Surface wind
light and variable but favors NNW-NNE and controlled by local terrain.
AFTERNOON
Mixing height
2500 - 3500 ft.
Transport wind similar to morning.
Surface wind similar to morning.
EVENING
Mixing height
lowers below 1000 ft.
Transport wind
WNW to NNW at 6 - 10 mph.
Surface wind
increases to WNW to NNW at 4 - 8 mph.
Zone 605-611 and
639 (North Cascades):
MORNING
Mixing height
below 500 ft early rising to 2300 - 3300 ft by late morning.
Transport wind S
to SW at 4 - 8 mph.
Surface wind
light and variable and controlled by local terrain.
AFTERNOON
Mixing height
rising to 3500 - 4500 ft.
Transport wind
shifts to WSW to WNW at 4 - 8 mph.
Surface wind similar to morning.
EVENING
Mixing height
1000 - 1500 ft.
Transport wind
WNW to NNW at 6 - 10 mph.
Surface wind
increases to WNW to NNW at 4 - 8 mph.
Zone 615-620
(South Coast Range):
MORNING
Mixing height
below 500 ft early rising to 2000 - 3000 ft by late morning.
Transport wind N
to NE at 6 - 10 mph.
Surface wind
light and variable but favors NNW-NNE and controlled by local terrain.
AFTERNOON
Mixing height
2300 - 3300 ft.
Transport wind similar to morning.
Surface wind similar to morning.
EVENING
Mixing height
lowers below 1000 ft.
Transport wind
NNW to NNE at 6 - 10 mph.
Surface wind
increases to NW to N at 4 - 8 mph.
Zone 616-623
(South Cascades):
MORNING
Mixing height
below 500 ft early rising to 2000 - 3000 ft by late morning.
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 3500 - 4500 ft.
Transport wind
increases to WNW to NNW at 4 - 8 mph.
Surface wind similar to morning.
EVENING
Mixing height
1000 - 1500 ft.
Transport wind NW
to N at 6 - 10 mph.
Surface wind
increases to WNW to NNW at 4 - 8 mph.
OUTLOOK:
FRIDAY
Mixing height
below 1000 ft early rising to 1900 to 2900 ft by late morning rising to 3400 to
4400 ft during the afternoon. Transport
wind NNW to NNE at 4 - 8 mph. Surface
wind light and variable during the morning becoming NW to N at 4 - 8 mph during
the afternoon.
SATURDAY
Mixing height
below 1000 ft early rising to 2200 to 3200 ft by late morning rising to 3700 to
4700 ft during the afternoon. Transport
wind NNE to ENE at 9 - 15 mph. Surface
wind NNE to ENE at 4 - 8 mph.
SUNDAY
Mixing height
below 1000 ft early rising to 3500 to 4500 ft by late morning rising above 5000
ft during the afternoon. Transport wind
NE to E at 10 - 18 mph. Surface wind NNE to ENE at 4 - 8 mph.
3. BURNING INSTRUCTIONS FOR ALL ZONES IN THE
WESTERN OREGON AREA
- Valid for burning done Thursday, June 11,
2026.
=================================================================
Coast Range
Zone 601 and 612
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.
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 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, 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
Units should be
1200 tons or less, spaced 6 miles apart, and 8 miles from downwind SSRAs.
Zone 611
Units should be
1500 tons or less, spaced 6 miles apart, and 8 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.
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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.