SMOKE MANAGEMENT
FORECAST AND INSTRUCTIONS
SALEM FORESTRY
WEATHER CENTER
OREGON DEPARTMENT
OF FORESTRY
ISSUED: Friday,
December 12, 2025 2:30 PM Gary Votaw
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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
An overhead and very
warm upper-level ridge begins to move eastward on Saturday as SW flow increases. Areas of morning fog turn to partly to mostly
sunny skies in afternoon as very warm conditions persist. Temperatures in mountains will be 10oF
to 20oF above average. Even
warmer air remains aloft to keep mixing very poor and winds light and variable
but favoring SE-SW.
An upper trough in the Gulf of Alaska will begin to impact the
area on Sunday. Light rain will reach NW
Oregon late while clouds increase elsewhere.
Mixing potential remains poor with very light S-SW transport winds.
The trough
remains centered well offshore on Monday, but the SW flow aloft increases over
West Oregon along with rain.
Precipitation of .50” to 1.00” during the day will be typical on the
coast and in northern mountains with snow above 8000 feet. Mixing will improve with increasing S-SW
winds.
The strongest part of the trough approaches on Tuesday with a cold
front arriving in the evening. Additional
rain of 1.00” to 1.50” will be common during the day for the mountains with a
snow level falling to 6000 feet north late in afternoon but 8000 feet south. Mixing potential is very good with mainly SW
winds.
Lighter precipitation will continue Wednesday with snow levels
falling closer to near mountain pass levels.
Mixing potential is very good with S-SW winds.
2. DISPERSION
SATURDAY
Zone 601, 602,
603 and 612 (North Coast Range):
MORNING
Mixing height
below 1000 ft.
Transport wind
ESE to SSE at 4 - 8 mph.
Surface wind
light and variable and controlled by local terrain.
AFTERNOON
Mixing height
remains below 1000 ft.
Transport wind
becomes light and variable and controlled by local terrain.
Surface wind
similar to morning.
EVENING
Mixing height
remains below 1000 ft.
Transport wind
similar to afternoon.
Surface wind
similar to afternoon.
Zone 605-611 and
639 (North Cascades):
MORNING
Mixing height
below 1000 ft.
Transport wind SE
to S at 5 - 9 mph.
Surface wind
light and variable and controlled by local terrain.
AFTERNOON
Mixing height
remains below 1000 ft.
Transport wind
SSE to SW at 5 - 9 mph.
Surface wind
similar to morning.
EVENING
Mixing height
remains below 1000 ft.
Transport wind
similar to afternoon.
Surface wind
similar to afternoon.
Zone 615-620
(South Coast Range):
MORNING
Mixing height
below 1000 ft.
Transport wind S
to SW at 5 - 9 mph.
Surface wind SSW
to WSW at 4 - 8 mph.
AFTERNOON
Mixing height
1000 - 1600 ft.
Transport wind
similar to morning.
Surface wind
becomes light and variable and controlled by local terrain.
EVENING
Mixing height
lowers below 1000 ft.
Transport wind
similar to afternoon.
Surface wind
increases to SSE to SSW at 6 - 10 mph.
Zone 616-623
(South Cascades):
MORNING
Mixing height
below 1000 ft.
Transport wind
ESE to SSE at 5 - 9 mph.
Surface wind
light and variable and controlled by local terrain.
AFTERNOON
Mixing height
1000 - 1500 ft.
Transport wind
SSE to SSW at 5 - 9 mph.
Surface wind
similar to morning.
EVENING
Mixing height
lowers below 1000 ft.
Transport wind
ESE to S at 6 - 10 mph.
Surface wind
similar to afternoon.
OUTLOOK:
SUNDAY
Mixing height
below 1000 ft during the morning rising to 1000 to 1700 ft during the
afternoon. Transport wind S to SW at 6 -
10 mph. Surface wind light and variable.
MONDAY
Mixing height
below 1000 ft during the morning rising to 2600 to 3600 ft during the
afternoon. Transport wind S to SW at 6 -
10 mph during the morning becoming SSW to SW at 24 - 42 mph during the
afternoon. Surface wind light and
variable during the morning becoming S to SW at 10 - 16 mph during the
afternoon.
TUESDAY
In the north
mixing height 2800 to 3800 ft during the morning rising above 5000 ft during
the afternoon. In the south mixing
height 1600 to 2600 ft during the morning rising to 4200 to 5000 ft during the
afternoon. Transport wind SSW to SW at
13 - 25 mph during the morning becoming SW to WSW at 20 - 34 mph during the
afternoon. Surface wind S to SW at 8 -
12 mph.
3. BURNING INSTRUCTIONS FOR ALL ZONES IN THE
WESTERN OREGON AREA
- Valid for burning done Saturday through
Monday, December 13 through 15, 2025.
=================================================================
For Saturday:
Coast Range
***Avoid ignitions before 10 a.m. in all
zones. Complete ignitions by 2:30 p.m. in all zones.***
Zone 601, 612,
and 616 east of R9W
Units should be
900 tons or less, spaced 12 miles apart, and 12 miles from downwind SSRAs. Higher tonnage is possible south of T29S in
Zone 616 - call the forecaster.
Zone 602 and 603
Units should be
300 tons or less, spaced 12 miles apart, and 12 miles from downwind SSRAs.
Zone 615, 616
west of R8W, 618, 619, and 620
Use standard
guidance matrix - see section 5 below.
Avoid burning directly upwind of the North Bend/Coos Bay SSRA.
Cascades
***Avoid ignitions before 10 a.m. in all zones. Complete ignitions
by 2:30 p.m. in all zones.***
Zone 605, 606,
and 616
Units should be
600 tons or less, spaced 12 miles apart, and 12 miles from downwind SSRAs. In zone 616 avoid ignitions north of
T24S. South of T29S higher tonnage is
possible - call the forecaster.
Zone 607, 608,
639, 610, 617, 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
900 tons or less, spaced 12 miles apart, and 12 miles from downwind SSRAs.
Zone 620 and 622
Units should be
1200 tons or less, spaced 12 miles apart, and 12 miles from downwind SSRAs.
Siskiyous
***Avoid ignitions before 10 a.m. Complete
ignitions by 2:30 p.m.***
Units should be
900 tons or less, spaced 12 miles apart, and 12 miles from downwind SSRAs.
For Sunday:
Coast Range
***Avoid ignitions before 10 a.m. in all zones. Complete ignitions
by 2:30 p.m. in all zones.***
Zone 601
Units should be
1500 tons or less, spaced 12 miles apart, and 12 miles from downwind
SSRAs. North of Tillamook, use standard
guidance matrix - see section 5 below.
Zone 602 and 603
Units should be
300 tons or less, spaced 12 miles apart, and 12 miles from downwind SSRAs. North of T3N in Zone 602, use standard
guidance matrix - see section 5 below.
Units may be 900 tons or less, spaced 12 miles apart, south of the
Siuslaw River in Zone 603.
Zone 612
Units should be
1200 tons or less, spaced 12 miles apart, and 12 miles from downwind SSRAs.
Zone 615, 616
west of R8W, 618, 619, and 620
Use standard
guidance matrix - see section 5 below.
Avoid burning directly upwind of the North Bend/Coos Bay SSRA.
Zone 616 east of
R9W
Units should be
900 tons or less, spaced 12 miles apart, and 12 miles from downwind SSRAs. Higher tonnage is possible south of T29S -
call the forecaster.
Cascades
***Avoid ignitions before 10 a.m. in all zones. Complete ignitions
by 2:30 p.m. in all zones.***
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
900 tons or less, spaced 12 miles apart, and 12 miles from downwind SSRAs.
Zone 616
Units should be
600 tons or less, spaced 12 miles apart, and 12 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. Complete ignitions by 2:30 p.m.***
Units should be
900 tons or less, spaced 12 miles apart, and 12 miles from downwind SSRAs.
For Monday:
Coast Range
***Avoid ignitions before 10 a.m. in all zones.***
Zone 601
Units should be
1000 tons or less, spaced 12 miles apart, and 12 miles from downwind
SSRAs. North of Tillamook, use standard
guidance matrix - see section 5 below.
Zone 602 and 603
Units should be
300 tons or less, spaced 12 miles apart, and 12 miles from downwind SSRAs. North of T3N in Zone 602, use standard
guidance matrix - see section 5 below.
Units may be 900 tons or less, spaced 12 miles apart, south of the
Siuslaw River in Zone 603.
Zone 612 and 616
east of R9W
Units should be
900 tons or less, spaced 12 miles apart, and 12 miles from downwind SSRAs. Higher tonnage is possible south of T29S in
Zone 616 - call the forecaster.
Zone 615, 616
west of R8W, 618, 619, and 620
Use standard
guidance matrix - see section 5 below.
Avoid burning directly upwind of the North Bend/Coos Bay SSRA. South of T35S in Zone 620 units should be 750
tons or less, spaced 12 miles apart, and 12 miles from downwind SSRAs.
Cascades
***Avoid ignitions before 10 a.m. in all zones.***
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
900 tons or less, spaced 8 miles apart, and 10 miles from downwind SSRAs.
Siskiyous
***Avoid ignitions before 10 a.m.***
Units should be
900 tons or less, spaced 8 miles apart, and 10 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.