SMOKE MANAGEMENT
FORECAST AND INSTRUCTIONS
SALEM FORESTRY
WEATHER CENTER
OREGON DEPARTMENT
OF FORESTRY
ISSUED:
Wednesday, January 21, 2026 2:30 PM Pete Parsons
**************** Air Stagnation Advisory Information
****************
An Air Stagnation Advisory may be in effect for your
area (consult the link below for the latest information). Please take extra
precautions and limit forestland burning to units that will not worsen air
quality within nearby SSRAs.
* Current Air Stagnation Advisories: https://www.weather.gov/wrh/.
*
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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
The axis of the upper-level ridge that has been over Oregon
is shifting slightly offshore, resulting in a continued dry but somewhat cooler
NW flow aloft. On Thursday, areas of morning
valley fog and ice fog will give way to increasing clouds north and mostly
sunny skies south in the afternoon.
North-central Oregon should remain mostly cloudy. Cool surface temperatures and warm air aloft
will maintain generally poor mixing with light, mostly NW, winds. Skies remain partly to mostly cloudy Thursday
night, as a dry weather system moves southward across the state.
EXTENDED DISCUSSION
Increasing dry northerly flow aloft will clear skies on
Friday and strengthen the N-NE winds at the surface. After another chilly morning, look for
sunshine to warm temperatures to near average in the afternoon with a slight improvement
in daytime mixing.
The upper-level ridge shifts back over the state on
Saturday, with a dry N-NE flow aloft and offshore flow at the surface. Frosty morning temperatures give way to
near-average daytime highs, with warming aloft further suppressing daytime
mixing.
The upper-level ridge weakens on Sunday with another chilly
start giving way to increasing clouds and near-average temperatures in the afternoon. Warm air aloft will maintain poor daytime
mixing with light winds turning mostly S-SW.
2. DISPERSION
THURSDAY
All Zones:
MORNING
Mixing height
below 1000 ft.
Transport wind
light and variable but favors N to NE and controlled by local terrain.
Surface wind
light and variable but favors N to NE and controlled by local terrain.
AFTERNOON
Mixing height
1000 - 1500 ft.
Transport wind
increases to NNW to NNE at 4 - 8 mph.
Surface wind similar to morning.
EVENING
Mixing height
lowers below 1000 ft.
Transport wind N
to NE at 4 - 8 mph.
Surface wind similar to afternoon.
OUTLOOK:
FRIDAY
Mixing height
below 1000 ft during the morning rising to 1200 to 2200 ft during the
afternoon. Transport wind NNE to ENE at
6 - 10 mph. Surface wind NNE to ENE at 5
- 9 mph.
SATURDAY
Mixing height
below 1000 ft during the morning rising to 1000 to 1600 ft during the
afternoon. Transport wind ENE to ESE at
8 - 12 mph. Surface wind ENE to ESE at 4
- 8 mph.
SUNDAY
Mixing height
below 1000 ft throughout the day.
Transport wind ESE to SSE at 4 - 8 mph during the morning becoming SE to
S at 4 - 8 mph during the afternoon.
Surface wind E to SE at 4 - 8 mph during the morning becoming ESE to S
at 4 - 8 mph during the afternoon.
3. BURNING
INSTRUCTIONS FOR ALL ZONES IN THE WESTERN OREGON AREA
- Valid for burning done Thursday, January
22, 2026.
=================================================================
Coast Range
***Avoid
ignitions before 10 a.m. in all zones.
Complete ignitions by 3 p.m. in all zones.***
Zone 601, 612,
615, 616 west of R8W, 618, and 619
Use standard
guidance matrix - see section 5 below.
Avoid burning directly upwind of coastal SSRAs. Higher tonnage is possible south of Waldport
in Zone 612 - call the forecaster.
Zone 602, 603,
and 620
Units should be
600 tons or less, spaced 12 miles apart, and 12 miles from downwind SSRAs. Avoid ignitions north of Forest
Grove/Hillsboro or Sheridan/Willamina in Zone 602. Higher tonnage is possible south of T17S in
Zone 603 - call the forecaster. Higher
tonnage is possible south of the Rogue River in Zone 620 - call the forecaster.
Zone 616 east of
R9W
Units should be
900 tons or less, spaced 12 miles apart, and 12 miles from downwind SSRAs.
Cascades
***Avoid
ignitions before 10 a.m. in all zones.
Complete ignitions by 3 p.m. in all zones.***
Zone 605, 606,
and 610
Units should be
900 tons or less, spaced 12 miles apart, and 12 miles from downwind SSRAs. Verify transport winds away from SSRA if
burning within 10 miles of the SSRA in Zone 605 and 606.
Zone 607, 608,
639, 611, 617, and 623
Use standard
guidance matrix - see section 5 below.
Ensure adequate distance from downwind SSRAs for smoke to
dissipate. South of T30S in Zone 617
units should be 600 tons or less, spaced 12 miles apart.
Zone 616
Units should be
600 tons or less, spaced 12 miles apart, and 12 miles from downwind SSRAs.
Zone 620 and 622
Units should be
300 tons or less, spaced 12 miles apart, and 12 miles from downwind SSRAs.
Siskiyous
***Avoid
ignitions before 10 a.m. Complete ignitions by 3 p.m.***
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.