SMOKE MANAGEMENT
FORECAST AND INSTRUCTIONS
SALEM FORESTRY
WEATHER CENTER
OREGON DEPARTMENT
OF FORESTRY
ISSUED: Thursday,
May 14, 2026
2:30 PM Sherri Pugh
1. DISCUSSION AND FORECAST FOR THE WESTERN
OREGON AREA FORECAST ZONES 601-623 and 639
Friday will be mostly dry with a few
showers far north at most. Flow aloft
will be onshore as upper-level troughing moves across Washington. Temperatures will be near or below average. Winds will be onshore from SW-NW and
brisk. Mixing heights will be high.
EXTENDED DISCUSSION
Saturday will have
light showers for most and NW flow aloft as the upper-level troughing shifts
east. Freezing levels will be down to
4000 feet in northern zones and 5000 feet in southern zones with some Cascades
snow. Winds will come from W-NW with brisk
transport winds. Temperatures will be
below seasonable and mixing heights will be good.
Most of the region
will be dry on Sunday other than a few showers far north. Flow aloft will be from NW with upper-level ridging
offshore. Temperatures will be near or
below seasonable. Light winds will mostly
come from N with good mixing heights.
Monday will be dry
with NW flow aloft. Winds will come from
NNW-N with seasonable temperatures.
Mixing heights will be good.
Mostly dry weather lasts into early next week.
2. DISPERSION
FRIDAY
Zone 601-612 and
639 (North Coast Range and Cascades):
MORNING
Mixing height
below 800 ft early rising to 3000 - 4000 ft by late morning.
Transport wind
SSW to WSW at 10 - 22 mph.
Surface wind SSW
to WSW at 6 - 10 mph.
AFTERNOON
Mixing height
rising above 5000 ft.
Transport wind
increases to SSW to WSW at 18 - 30 mph.
Surface wind similar to morning.
EVENING
Mixing height
2500 - 3500 ft.
Transport wind
decreases to WSW to WNW at 10 - 22 mph.
Surface wind SW
to W at 4 - 8 mph.
Zone 615-623
(South Coast Range and Cascades):
MORNING
Mixing height
below 800 ft early rising to 2500 - 3500 ft by late morning.
Transport wind
WNW to NNW at 6 - 10 mph.
Surface wind NW
to N at 4 - 8 mph.
AFTERNOON
Mixing height
3500 - 5000 ft.
Transport wind
WNW to NNW at 9 - 15 mph.
Surface wind WNW
to NNW at 6 - 10 mph.
EVENING
Mixing height
2300 - 3300 ft.
Transport wind W
to NW at 8 - 12 mph.
Surface wind similar to afternoon.
OUTLOOK:
SATURDAY
Mixing height
2400 to 3400 ft during the morning rising to 3900 to 4900 ft during the
afternoon. Transport wind W to NW at 9 -
15 mph during the morning becoming NW to NNW at 13 - 25 mph during the
afternoon. Surface wind W to NW at 4 - 8
mph.
SUNDAY
In the north
mixing height below 1000 ft early rising to 1700 to 2700 ft by late morning
rising to 3200 to 4200 ft during the afternoon.
In the south mixing height below 1000 ft early rising to 2800 to 3800 ft
by late morning rising to 3800 to 4800 ft during the afternoon. Transport wind NNW to NNE at 4 - 8 mph. Surface wind light and variable.
MONDAY
Mixing height
below 1000 ft early rising to 2900 to 3900 ft by late morning rising to 3500 to
4500 ft during the afternoon. Transport
wind NNW to NNE at 4 - 8 mph. Surface
wind light and variable.
3. BURNING INSTRUCTIONS FOR ALL ZONES IN THE
WESTERN OREGON AREA
- Valid for burning done Friday, May 15,
2026.
=================================================================
Coast Range
Zone 601 and 612
Units should be
1500 tons or less, spaced 3 miles apart, and 5 miles from downwind SSRAs.
Zone 602 and 603
Units should be
750 tons or less, spaced 3 miles apart, and 5 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 3 miles apart, south of the
Siuslaw River in Zone 603.
Zone 615
Units should be
1500 tons or less, spaced 6 miles apart, and 8 miles from downwind SSRAs.
Zone 616 west of
R8W
Units should be
1200 tons or less, spaced 6 miles apart, and 8 miles from downwind SSRAs.
Zone 616 east of
R9W
Units should be
750 tons or less, spaced 6 miles apart, and 8 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 6 miles apart, and 8 miles from downwind SSRAs. Higher tonnage is possible south of
T35S. Call the forecaster.
Cascades
Zone 605, 606,
607, 608, 639, 610, 616, 617, and 623
Use standard
guidance matrix - see section 5 below.
Ensure adequate distance from downwind SSRAs for smoke to
dissipate. From T18S through T22S in
Zone 608 units should be 1200 tons or less, spaced 3 miles apart.
Zone 611
Units should be
1500 tons or less, spaced 3 miles apart, and 5 miles from downwind SSRAs.
Zone 620
Units should be
750 tons or less, spaced 6 miles apart, and 8 miles from downwind SSRAs.
Zone 622
Units should be
1200 tons or less, spaced 6 miles apart, and 8 miles from downwind SSRAs. East of R2W, 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.
==============================================================
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.