SMOKE MANAGEMENT
FORECAST AND INSTRUCTIONS
SALEM FORESTRY
WEATHER CENTER
OREGON DEPARTMENT
OF FORESTRY
ISSUED: Thursday,
November 6, 2025
2:30 PM Sherri Pugh
1. DISCUSSION AND FORECAST FOR THE WESTERN
OREGON AREA FORECAST ZONES 601-623 and 639
Showers will decrease through the day
on Friday with amounts under 0.10”. Flow
aloft will be from WNW as upper-level ridging builds offshore. Surface winds will be light from S-W in
northern zones and variable in southern zones.
Transport winds will be onshore.
Seasonable temperatures come with good mixing heights.
EXTENDED DISCUSSION
Saturday will be dry
with high clouds and well above average temperatures. Upper-level ridging will build warm air aloft
and suppress mixing heights. Surface
winds will be light and offshore while transport winds will come from E-SE.
Dry weather and high clouds continue on Sunday.
Flow aloft will be from SW with the upper-level ridge moving east. Surface winds will be light and variable while
offshore. Transport winds will come from
SE-S. Temperatures will climb well above
seasonable. Mixing heights will be suppressed.
Monday will have
partly sunny skies and dry weather except for a few showers in far northern
zones. Light surface winds will turn
onshore. Transport winds will come from
SW-W. Temperatures continue well above
average. Mixing heights will be fair to
good.
2. DISPERSION
FRIDAY
All Zones:
MORNING
Mixing height
below 2000 ft early rising to 3500 - 4500 ft by late morning.
Transport wind SW
to W at 8 - 12 mph.
Surface wind
light and variable but favors SSW-WSW and controlled by local terrain.
AFTERNOON
Mixing height
3500 - 4500 ft.
Transport wind
WSW to WNW at 8 - 12 mph.
Surface wind similar to morning.
EVENING
Mixing height
lowers below 1000 ft.
Transport wind
becomes light and variable and controlled by local terrain.
Surface wind
light and variable and controlled by local terrain.
OUTLOOK:
SATURDAY
In the north
mixing height below 1000 ft early rising to 1000 to 2000 ft by late morning and
through the afternoon. In the south
mixing height below 1000 ft during the morning rising to 1000 to 2000 ft during
the afternoon. Transport wind E to SE at
4 - 8 mph. Surface wind light and
variable.
SUNDAY
Mixing height
below 1000 ft early rising to 1000 to 1600 ft by late morning and through the
afternoon. Transport wind ESE to SSE at
4 - 8 mph. Surface wind light and
variable.
MONDAY
Mixing height
below 1000 ft early rising to 1000 to 2000 ft by late morning rising to 2400 to
3400 ft during the afternoon. Transport
wind SW to W 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, November
7, 2025.
=================================================================
Coast Range
Zone 601 and 612
Units should be
1000 tons or less, spaced 6 miles apart, and 8 miles from downwind SSRAs.
Zone 602 and 603
Units should be
500 tons or less, spaced 6 miles apart, and 8 miles from downwind SSRAs. Higher tonnage is possible south of the
Siuslaw River in Zone 603 - call the forecaster.
Zone 615, 616,
618, and 619
Use standard
guidance matrix - see section 5 below.
Avoid burning directly upwind of the North Bend/Coos Bay SSRA.
Zone 620
Units should be
750 tons or less, spaced 6 miles apart, and 8 miles from downwind SSRAs.
Cascades
All zones except
Zone 610 and 611
Use standard
guidance matrix - see section 5 below.
Ensure adequate distance from downwind SSRAs for smoke to dissipate.
Zone 610
Units should be
1200 tons or less, spaced 6 miles apart, and 8 miles from downwind SSRAs.
Zone 611
Units should be
1500 tons or less, spaced 6 miles apart, and 8 miles from downwind SSRAs.
Siskiyous
Units should be
1200 tons or less, spaced 6 miles apart, and 8 miles from downwind SSRAs.
==============================================================
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.