SMOKE MANAGEMENT
FORECAST AND INSTRUCTIONS
SALEM FORESTRY
WEATHER CENTER
OREGON DEPARTMENT
OF FORESTRY
ISSUED: Tuesday,
January 13, 2026
2:30 PM Gary Votaw
**************** Air Stagnation Advisory
Information ****************
An Air Stagnation Advisory may be in effect for your area
(consult the link below for the latest information). Please use 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
On Wednesday, a
strong overhead ridge continues to cause very poor burning conditions, and
little change will occur this week.
Sunny skies are expected with above normal temperatures, especially in
mountains. Mixing heights will be below
1000 ft all day as winds are light variable, favoring NE-E.
EXTENDED DISCUSSION
The ridge will
persist and even become stronger causing circumstances to be sunny and warm
each day. Mixing remains very poor. Transport winds turn offshore mainly ENE-E
for Thursday and Friday, then becomes light and variable again for Saturday.
2. DISPERSION
WEDNESDAY
Zone 601-612 and
639 (North Coast Range and Cascades):
MORNING
Mixing height
below 1000 ft.
Transport wind
light and variable and controlled by local terrain.
Surface wind
light and variable and controlled by local terrain.
AFTERNOON
Mixing height remains
below 1000 ft.
Transport wind similar to morning.
Surface wind similar to morning.
EVENING
Mixing height
remains below 1000 ft.
Transport wind
increases to N to NE at 4 - 8 mph.
Surface wind similar to afternoon.
Zone 615-620
(South Coast Range):
MORNING
Mixing height
below 1000 ft.
Transport wind NE
to ESE at 4 - 8 mph.
Surface wind
light and variable and controlled by local terrain.
AFTERNOON
Mixing height
remains below 1000 ft.
Transport wind NE
to E at 6 - 10 mph.
Surface wind similar to morning.
EVENING
Mixing height
remains below 1000 ft.
Transport wind similar to afternoon.
Surface wind
increases to NE to E at 4 - 8 mph.
Zone 616-623
(South Cascades):
MORNING
Mixing height
below 1000 ft.
Transport wind ENE
to ESE at 4 - 8 mph.
Surface wind
light and variable and controlled by local terrain.
AFTERNOON
Mixing height
remains below 1000 ft.
Transport wind
becomes light and variable and controlled by local terrain.
Surface wind similar to morning.
EVENING
Mixing height
remains below 1000 ft.
Transport wind
increases to NE to ESE at 5 - 9 mph.
Surface wind similar to afternoon.
OUTLOOK:
THURSDAY
Mixing height
below 1000 ft throughout the day.
Transport wind ENE to E at 8 - 12 mph. Surface wind ENE to ESE at 4 - 8 mph.
FRIDAY
Mixing height
below 1000 ft during the morning rising to 800 to 1400 ft during the
afternoon. Transport wind ENE to E at 8 - 12 mph.
Surface wind ENE to ESE at 6 - 10 mph.
SATURDAY
Mixing height below
1000 ft throughout the day. Transport
wind ESE to SSE at 5 - 9 mph during the morning becoming light and variable
during the afternoon. Surface wind light
and variable.
3. BURNING INSTRUCTIONS FOR ALL ZONES IN THE
WESTERN OREGON AREA
- Valid for burning done Wednesday, January
14, 2026.
=================================================================
Coast Range
***Avoid ignitions before 10 a.m. in all
zones. Complete ignitions by 3 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 3 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,
639, 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 610 and 611
Units should be
1200 tons or less, spaced 12 miles apart, and 12 miles from downwind SSRAs.
Zone 616
Units should be 600
tons or less, spaced 12 miles apart, and 12 miles from downwind SSRAs.
Siskiyous
***Avoid
ignitions before 10 a.m. in all zones. Complete ignitions by 3 p.m.
in all zones.***
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.