SMOKE MANAGEMENT
FORECAST AND INSTRUCTIONS
SALEM FORESTRY
WEATHER CENTER
OREGON DEPARTMENT
OF FORESTRY
ISSUED: Tuesday,
February 3, 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
An upper-level ridge strengthens over Oregon on Wednesday with
areas of morning fog giving way to sunshine.
After a cool start, daytime temperatures will be quite mild, but unseasonably
warm air aloft will keep mixing poor with light offshore winds.
EXTENDED DISCUSSION
The ridge axis shifts eastward, to over Idaho, on Thursday
with increasing southerly flow aloft over Oregon keeping freezing levels above
7000 feet. Skies should remain sunny
with mild daytime temperatures but poor mixing.
Light offshore winds may turn onshore along the coastal zones in the
evening.
The upper-level ridge continues to weaken on Friday,
allowing a decaying frontal system to spread some clouds and slightly cooler temperatures
across the state. Areas of light rain are
possible across the north-coastal zones.
Slight cooling aloft will begin to improve mixing with winds turning SW
across all zones.
SW flow aloft brings the next of what appears will be a
series of progressively stronger weather systems ashore later Saturday. Expect increasing clouds with continued very
mild temperatures. Mixing will be fair
with S-SW transport winds. Rain likely reaches
the coast by late in the day and extends inland Saturday night.
2. DISPERSION
WEDNESDAY
Zone 601, 602,
603 and 612 (North Coast Range):
MORNING
Mixing height
below 1000 ft.
Transport wind
ESE to SSE at 4 - 8 mph.
Surface wind
light and variable but favors NE to SE and controlled by local terrain.
AFTERNOON
Mixing height
remains below 1000 ft.
Transport wind E
to SE at 4 - 8 mph.
Surface wind similar to morning.
EVENING
Mixing height
remains below 1000 ft.
Transport wind
shifts to NE to E at 4 - 8
mph.
Surface wind similar to afternoon.
Zone 605-611 and
639 (North Cascades):
MORNING
Mixing height
below 1000 ft.
Transport wind SE
to S at 4 - 8 mph.
Surface wind
light and variable but favors E to SE and controlled by local terrain.
AFTERNOON
Mixing height
remains below 1000 ft.
Transport wind
ESE to SSE at 4 - 8 mph.
Surface wind similar to morning.
EVENING
Mixing height
remains below 1000 ft.
Transport wind
shifts to ENE to ESE at 4 - 8 mph.
Surface wind similar to afternoon.
Zone 615-623
(South Coast Range and Cascades):
MORNING
Mixing height
below 1000 ft.
Transport wind
ESE to S at 4 - 8 mph.
Surface wind
light and variable but favors E to SE and controlled by local terrain.
AFTERNOON
Mixing height
1000 - 1600 ft.
Transport wind similar to morning.
Surface wind similar to morning.
EVENING
Mixing height
lowers below 1000 ft.
Transport wind
shifts to ENE to ESE at 4 - 8 mph.
Surface wind similar to afternoon.
OUTLOOK:
THURSDAY
Mixing height
below 1000 ft during the morning rising to 1000 to 1600 ft during the
afternoon. Transport wind E to SE at 5 -
9 mph during the morning becoming ESE to S at 4 - 8 mph during the afternoon. Surface wind light and variable.
FRIDAY
Mixing height
below 1000 ft during the morning rising to 1000 to 1600 ft during the
afternoon. Transport wind S to SW at 5 -
9 mph. Surface wind SSE to SW at 4 - 8
mph.
SATURDAY
Mixing height
below 1000 ft early rising to 1000 to 1600 ft by late morning rising to 1600 to
2600 ft during the afternoon. Transport
wind SSE to SSW at 6 - 10 mph during the morning becoming SSW to SW at 8 - 12
mph during the afternoon. Surface wind
SE to SSW at 4 - 8 mph.
3. BURNING
INSTRUCTIONS FOR ALL ZONES IN THE WESTERN OREGON AREA
- Valid for burning done Wednesday,
February 4, 2026.
=================================================================
Coast Range
***Avoid
ignitions before 10 a.m. in all zones.
Complete ignitions by 3:30 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 3:30 p.m. in all zones.***
Zone 605 and 606
Units should be
300 tons or less, spaced 12 miles apart, and 12 miles from downwind SSRAs.
Zone 607, 608,
616, and 617
Units should be
600 tons or less, spaced 12 miles apart, and 12 miles from downwind SSRAs.
Zone 639, 610,
620, and 623
Use standard
guidance matrix - see section 5 below.
Ensure adequate distance from downwind SSRAs for smoke to dissipate.
Zone 611 and 622
Units should be
1200 tons or less, spaced 12 miles apart, and 12 miles from downwind SSRAs.
Siskiyous
***Avoid
ignitions before 10 a.m. Complete ignitions by 3:30 p.m.***
Units should be
900 tons or less, spaced 12 miles apart, and 12 miles from downwind SSRAs.
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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.