SMOKE MANAGEMENT
FORECAST AND INSTRUCTIONS
SALEM FORESTRY
WEATHER CENTER
OREGON DEPARTMENT
OF FORESTRY
ISSUED: Tuesday,
June 23, 2026
2:30 PM Gary Votaw
*********************************************************************
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!
*********************************************************************
1. DISCUSSION AND
FORECAST FOR THE WESTERN OREGON AREA FORECAST ZONES 601-623 and 639
SHORT-TERM
DISCUSSION
An overhead trough
persists on Wednesday providing a little stronger onshore flow and cooling. But mostly sunny skies still push
temperatures to warmer than normal.
Mixing in the Coast Range will be moderate with NW-N winds but good for
the Cascades with W-NW winds.
EXTENDED DISCUSSION
Clouds increase Thursday
ahead of a stronger upper trough still in the Gulf of Alaska, dropping
temperatures near or below average. Mixing
potential is only fair in the Coast Range but better for the Cascades. Winds will be very light favoring SW-NW.
Rain spreads inland Thursday
night and increases on Friday while turning the area much cooler, 10-15oF
below average. Expected rainfall is .25”
to .75” for northern mountains but much less in the south. Mixing will be excellent by the afternoon
with light SW-NW winds.
The
trough will be overhead on Saturday for a very cool and showery day. Temperatures will range from 10-20oF
below seasonal and the snow level drops to around 6000 feet. Another .50” to 1.00” of moisture is likely
in the Cascades but .25” or less elsewhere.
Mixing again will be excellent with W-NW winds.
2. DISPERSION
WEDNESDAY
Zone 601, 602,
603 and 612 (North Coast Range):
MORNING
Mixing height below
1000 ft early rising to 1200 - 2200 ft.
Transport wind
WNW to NNW at 8 - 12 mph.
Surface wind
light and variable and controlled by local terrain.
AFTERNOON
Mixing height
rising to 2500 - 3500 ft.
Transport wind
WNW to NNW at 10 - 18 mph.
Surface wind
increases to WNW to NNW at 4 - 8 mph.
EVENING
Mixing height
1000 - 1800 ft.
Transport wind NW
to NNW at 12 - 22 mph.
Surface wind W to
NW at 8 - 12 mph.
Zone 605-611 and
639 (North Cascades):
MORNING
Mixing height below
1000 ft early rising to 3500 - 4500 ft.
Transport wind
WNW to NNW at 5 - 9 mph.
Surface wind
light and variable and controlled by local terrain.
AFTERNOON
Mixing height
rising above 5000 ft.
Transport wind W
to NW at 8 - 12 mph.
Surface wind
increases to WSW to NW at 4 - 8 mph.
EVENING
Mixing height
1500 - 2500 ft.
Transport wind NW
to NNW at 9 - 15 mph.
Surface wind WNW
to NNW at 5 - 9 mph.
Zone 615-620
(South Coast Range):
MORNING
Mixing height below
1000 ft early rising to 2900 - 3900 ft.
Transport wind
NNW to NNE at 9 - 15 mph.
Surface wind NW
to N at 4 - 8 mph.
AFTERNOON
Mixing height
3500 - 4500 ft.
Transport wind similar to morning.
Surface wind WNW
to NNW at 6 - 12 mph.
EVENING
Mixing height
1000 - 1900 ft.
Transport wind similar to afternoon.
Surface wind WNW
to NNW at 4 - 8 mph.
Zone 616-623
(South Cascades):
MORNING
Mixing height below
1000 ft early rising to 3900 - 4900 ft.
Transport wind NW
to N at 5 - 9 mph.
Surface wind
light and variable and controlled by local terrain.
AFTERNOON
Mixing height
above 5000 ft.
Transport wind
WNW to NNW at 6 - 12 mph.
Surface wind
increases to WNW to NNW at 4 - 8 mph.
EVENING
Mixing height
3400 - 4400 ft.
Transport wind NW
to N at 9 - 15 mph.
Surface wind NW
to N at 6 - 12 mph.
OUTLOOK:
THURSDAY
In the Coast
Range mixing height below 1000 ft early rising to 2000 to 3000 ft by late
morning and through the afternoon. In
the Cascades mixing height below 1000 ft early rising to 3700 to 4700 ft by
late morning and through the afternoon.
Transport wind SW to WNW at 4 - 8 mph.
Surface wind light and variable during the morning becoming WSW to NW at
4 - 8 mph during the afternoon.
FRIDAY
Mixing height
2400 to 3400 ft during the morning rising above 5000 ft during the
afternoon. Transport wind SW to W at 6 -
12 mph. Surface wind light and variable
during the morning becoming W to NW at 4 - 8 mph during the afternoon.
SATURDAY
Mixing height
3300 to 4300 ft during the morning rising above 5000 ft during the
afternoon. Transport wind W to NW at 6 -
10 mph during the morning becoming WNW to NNW at 10 - 20 mph during the
afternoon. Surface wind light and
variable during the morning becoming W to NW at 8 - 12 mph during the
afternoon.
3. BURNING
INSTRUCTIONS FOR ALL ZONES IN THE WESTERN OREGON AREA
- Valid for burning done Wednesday, June
24, 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 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 6 miles apart, and 8 miles from downwind SSRAs.
Zone 616 east of
R9W
Units should be
1000 tons or less, spaced 6 miles apart, and 8 miles from downwind SSRAs. Restrict units to 500 tons or less south of
T30S.
Zone 620
Units should be
600 tons or less, spaced 6 miles apart, and 8 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 3 miles apart. South of T30S in Zone 616 units should be
1000 tons or less, spaced 3 miles apart.
Zone 610
Units should be
1200 tons or less, spaced 3 miles apart, and 5 miles from downwind SSRAs.
Zone 611
Units should be
1500 tons or less, spaced 3 miles apart, and 5 miles from downwind SSRAs.
Zone 620 and 622
Units should be
750 tons or less, spaced 3 miles apart, and 5 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.
==============================================================
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.