SMOKE MANAGEMENT FORECAST AND INSTRUCTIONS

SALEM FORESTRY WEATHER CENTER

OREGON DEPARTMENT OF FORESTRY

ISSUED: Tuesday, February 24, 2026 2:30 PM Sherri Pugh

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A substantial degrade in the forecast products used by Oregon Department of Forestry meteorologists will cause longer wait-times to return calls to the forecast line. Forecasts and instructions may be delayed due to the decline in data.

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1. DISCUSSION AND FORECAST FOR THE WESTERN OREGON AREA FORECAST ZONES 601-623 and 639

*** Corrected discussion ***

SHORT-TERM DISCUSSION

Showers decrease through the day on Wednesday with amounts under 0.10”. Flow aloft will come from W with broad upper-level ridging and drier, warmer conditions for several days. Winds will come from W-N and stay light west of the Cascades. Mixing heights will be high with freezing levels around 4-5000 feet. Temperatures will be near or below seasonable.

EXTENDED DISCUSSION

Thursday will be dry with mid to high level clouds and broad upper-level ridging. Winds will be light and variable. Mixing heights will lower some with warmer air aloft. Temperatures will rise above average.

Upper-level ridging continues to influence the weather on Friday with dry conditions. Mixing heights will lower despite surface temperatures well-above seasonable. Winds will be light and somewhat from N.

An upper-level low approaches from offshore with weakening impacts from ridging. Showers will build south while the north remains dry. Surface winds will be light and variable. Transport winds will come from SSW. Mixing heights will be fair to good.

2. DISPERSION

WEDNESDAY

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 light and variable but favors NNW-N and controlled by local terrain.

Surface wind light and variable but favors NNW-NNE and controlled by local terrain.

AFTERNOON

Mixing height rising to 3300 - 4300 ft.

Transport wind increases to WNW to NNW at 4 - 8 mph.

Surface wind increases to W to NW at 4 - 8 mph.

EVENING

Mixing height lowers below 1000 ft.

Transport wind similar to afternoon.

Surface wind becomes light and variable but favors NNW-NNE and controlled by local terrain.

Zone 605-611 and 639 (North Cascades):

MORNING

Mixing height below 500 ft early rising to 2300 - 3300 ft by late morning.

Transport wind W to NW at 8 - 12 mph.

Surface wind W to NW at 4 - 8 mph.

AFTERNOON

Mixing height rising to 3500 - 4500 ft.

Transport wind similar to morning.

Surface wind similar to morning.

EVENING

Mixing height lowers below 1000 ft.

Transport wind W to NW at 4 - 8 mph.

Surface wind becomes light and variable and controlled by local terrain.

Zone 615-620 (South Coast Range):

MORNING

Mixing height below 800 ft early rising to 2000 - 3000 ft by late morning.

Transport wind light and variable but favors WNW-N and controlled by local terrain.

Surface wind light and variable but favors NW-N and controlled by local terrain.

AFTERNOON

Mixing height 3000 - 4000 ft.

Transport wind similar to morning.

Surface wind increases to NNW to NNE at 4 - 8 mph.

EVENING

Mixing height lowers below 1000 ft.

Transport wind increases to N to NE at 4 - 8 mph.

Surface wind N to NE at 4 - 8 mph.

Zone 616-623 (South Cascades):

MORNING

Mixing height below 800 ft early rising to 2000 - 3000 ft by late morning.

Transport wind W to NW at 4 - 8 mph.

Surface wind light and variable but favors NW-N and controlled by local terrain.

AFTERNOON

Mixing height rising to 3500 - 4500 ft.

Transport wind similar to morning.

Surface wind similar to morning.

EVENING

Mixing height lowers below 1000 ft.

Transport wind shifts to NNW to NNE at 4 - 8 mph.

Surface wind similar to afternoon.

OUTLOOK:

THURSDAY

Mixing height below 1000 ft early rising to 1200 to 2200 ft by late morning and through the afternoon. Transport wind light and variable. Surface wind light and variable.

FRIDAY

Mixing height below 1000 ft early rising to 1000 to 1900 ft by late morning and through the afternoon. Transport wind N to NE at 4 - 8 mph. Surface wind light and variable.

SATURDAY

Mixing height below 1000 ft early rising to 1000 to 2000 ft by late morning rising to 1800 to 2800 ft during the afternoon. Transport wind SSE to SSW at 4 - 8 mph. Surface wind light and variable.

3. BURNING INSTRUCTIONS FOR ALL ZONES IN THE WESTERN OREGON AREA

- Valid for burning done Wednesday, February 25, 2026.

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Coast Range

Zone 601 and 612

Units should be 1000 tons or less, spaced 8 miles apart, and 10 miles from downwind SSRAs. Higher tonnage is possible south of Waldport in Zone 612 - call the forecaster.

Zone 602 and 603

Units should be 500 tons or less, spaced 8 miles apart, and 10 miles from downwind SSRAs. Higher tonnage is possible south of the Siuslaw River in Zone 603 - call the forecaster.

Zone 615 and 616 west of R8W

Units should be 1200 tons or less, spaced 8 miles apart, and 10 miles from downwind SSRAs.

Zone 616 east of R9W

Units should be 900 tons or less, spaced 8 miles apart, and 10 miles from downwind SSRAs.

Zone 618 and 619

Use standard guidance matrix - see section 5 below.

Zone 620

Units should be 600 tons or less, spaced 8 miles apart, and 10 miles from downwind SSRAs.

Cascades

Zone 605, 606, 607, 608, 639, 611, 616, 617, and 623

Use standard guidance matrix - see section 5 below. Ensure adequate distance from downwind SSRAs for smoke to dissipate. From T12S through T17S 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 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.