SMOKE MANAGEMENT
FORECAST AND INSTRUCTIONS
SALEM FORESTRY
WEATHER CENTER
OREGON DEPARTMENT
OF FORESTRY
ISSUED: Friday,
December 26, 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
Northwest flow aloft will push well mixed air across the region Saturday. Showers taper off though skies remain mostly
cloudy while cold. Additional moisture will
be .10” or less, possibly .25” the North Cascades. Temperatures will
be below seasonable and snow
levels rise only to 2000-2500 feet. Good
mixing can be expected with slowly weakening W-N transport winds.
An upper-level
ridge begins to dominate conditions on Sunday with poor burning potential. Temperatures remain mostly below normal even
under mostly sunny skies. Winds will be
light and variable, favoring NE-E.
The ridge maintains its grip on the region Monday
and Tuesday to cause very poor burning conditions. Sunny skies persist and temperatures rise close
to seasonal averages. Winds will be
light and variable.
2. DISPERSION
SATURDAY
Zone 601, 602,
603 and 612 (North Coast Range):
MORNING
Mixing height
above 5000 ft.
Transport wind W
to NW at 9 - 15 mph.
Surface wind WSW
to NW at 5 - 9 mph.
AFTERNOON
Mixing height
above 5000 ft.
Transport wind
WNW to NNW at 6 - 12 mph.
Surface wind similar to morning.
EVENING
Mixing height
1400 - 2400 ft.
Transport wind
WNW to NNW at 4 - 8 mph.
Surface wind
becomes light and variable and controlled by local terrain.
Zone 605-611 and
639 (North Cascades):
MORNING
Mixing height
above 5000 ft.
Transport wind W
to NW at 10 - 20 mph.
Surface wind SW
to WNW at 6 - 12 mph.
AFTERNOON
Mixing height
above 5000 ft.
Transport wind
decreases to WSW to NW at 6 - 12 mph.
Surface wind similar to morning.
EVENING
Mixing height
1700 - 2700 ft.
Transport wind
shifts to NW to N at 5 - 9 mph.
Surface wind
becomes light and variable and controlled by local terrain.
Zone 615-620
(South Coast Range):
MORNING
Mixing height
above 5000 ft.
Transport wind NW
to NNE at 4 - 8 mph.
Surface wind WNW
to NNW at 4 - 8 mph.
AFTERNOON
Mixing height
above 5000 ft.
Transport wind similar to morning.
Surface wind
shifts to NNW to NE at 4 - 8 mph.
EVENING
Mixing height
1200 - 2200 ft.
Transport wind N
to NE at 4 - 8 mph.
Surface wind
becomes light and variable and controlled by local terrain.
Zone 616-623
(South Cascades):
MORNING
Mixing height
above 5000 ft.
Transport wind NW
to N at 6 - 12 mph.
Surface wind W to
NW at 6 - 10 mph.
AFTERNOON
Mixing height
above 5000 ft.
Transport wind
WNW to NNW at 5 - 9 mph.
Surface wind similar to morning.
EVENING
Mixing height
1700 - 2700 ft.
Transport wind
shifts to N to NE at 4 - 8 mph.
Surface wind
becomes light and variable and controlled by local terrain.
OUTLOOK:
SUNDAY
Mixing height
below 1000 ft during the morning rising to 1000 to 1800 ft during the
afternoon. Transport wind NE to E at 4 - 8 mph during the morning becoming light and
variable during the afternoon. Surface
wind light and variable.
MONDAY
Mixing height
below 1000 ft during the morning rising to 1000 to 1800 ft during the
afternoon. Transport wind light and
variable. Surface wind light and
variable.
TUESDAY
Mixing height
below 1000 ft during the morning rising to 1000 to 1600 ft during the
afternoon. Transport wind light and
variable. Surface wind light and
variable.
3. BURNING
INSTRUCTIONS FOR ALL ZONES IN THE WESTERN OREGON AREA
- Valid for burning done Saturday through
Monday, December 27 through 29, 2025.
=================================================================
For Saturday:
Coast Range
All Zones
Use standard
guidance matrix - see section 5 below.
Ensure adequate distance from downwind SSRAs for smoke to dissipate.
Cascades
Zone 605, 606,
607, 608, 639, 616, 617, and 623
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 3 miles apart, and 5 miles from downwind SSRAs.
Zone 611
Units should be
1500 tons or less, spaced 3 miles apart, and 5 miles from downwind SSRAs.
Zone 620 and 622
Units should be
750 tons or less, spaced 3 miles apart, and 5 miles from downwind SSRAs. East of R2W in Zone 622, use standard
guidance matrix - see section 5 below.
Siskiyous
Use standard
guidance matrix - see section 5 below.
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 and 612
Units should be
900 tons or less, spaced 12 miles apart, and 12 miles from downwind SSRAs.
Zone 602 and 603
Units should be
300 tons or less, spaced 12 miles apart, and 12 miles from downwind SSRAs.
Zone 615, 616,
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,
620, and 622
Units should be
300 tons or less, spaced 12 miles apart, and 12 miles from downwind SSRAs.
Zone 607, 608,
and 616
Units should be
600 tons or less, spaced 12 miles apart, and 12 miles from downwind SSRAs.
Zone 639
Use standard
guidance matrix - see section 5 below.
Zone 610, 611,
and 617
Units should be
1200 tons or less, spaced 12 miles apart, and 12 miles from downwind
SSRAs. South of T30S in Zone 617 units
should be 600 tons or less, spaced 12 miles apart.
Zone 623
Units should be
1000 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.***
Use standard
guidance matrix - see section 5 below.
For Monday:
Coast Range
***Avoid
ignitions before 10 a.m. in all zones. Complete ignitions by 2:30
p.m. in all zones.***
All Zones
Use standard
guidance matrix - see section 5 below.
Ensure adequate distance from downwind SSRAs for smoke to dissipate.
Cascades
***Avoid
ignitions before 10 a.m. in all zones. Complete ignitions by 2:30
p.m. in all zones.***
Zone 605, 606,
620, and 622
Units should be
300 tons or less, spaced 12 miles apart, and 12 miles from downwind SSRAs.
Zone 607 and 608
Units should be
900 tons or less, spaced 12 miles apart, and 12 miles from downwind SSRAs.
Zone 639
Use standard
guidance matrix - see section 5 below.
Zone 610 and 611
Units should be
1200 tons or less, spaced 12 miles apart, and 12 miles from downwind SSRAs.
Zone 616, 617,
and 623
Units should be
600 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.***
Use standard
guidance matrix - see section 5 below.
==============================================================
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.