SMOKE MANAGEMENT
FORECAST AND INSTRUCTIONS
SALEM FORESTRY
WEATHER CENTER
OREGON DEPARTMENT
OF FORESTRY
ISSUED: Tuesday,
December 30, 2025
2:30 PM Sherri Pugh
**************** 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
Upper-level ridging
will have suppressed mixing heights on Wednesday that will limit burning near
SSRAs. Dry weather will come with early
morning fog or frost as well as strong inversions. Light winds will be from SE-S. Temperatures will be above average except in
valley areas with extensive fog.
EXTENDED DISCUSSION
Showers build on Thursday from south to north. Flow aloft will come from SW as upper-level
ridging shifts east. Mixing heights will
gradually improve on the coast and stay fair to poor inland. Light winds will come from E-SE at the
surface and SE-S for transport winds.
On and off showers
are expected on Friday with heavier totals in southern zones. Flow aloft will increase from S with an
upper-level trough offshore. Surface
winds will come from E-SE. Strong
transport winds will be from SSE.
Temperatures will climb above average and mixing
heights will be mostly good.
Saturday will have
on and off rain with an upper-level trough on the coast. Strong winds will be from SSE at the surface
and SSE-SSW for transport winds. Snow
levels will decrease to 4-5000 feet.
Temperatures will be seasonable and mixing
heights will rise high.
2. DISPERSION
WEDNESDAY
All Zones:
MORNING
Mixing height
below 1000 ft.
Transport wind light
and variable but favors SE and controlled by local terrain.
Surface wind
light and variable but favors E-SE and controlled by local terrain.
AFTERNOON
Mixing height
1000 - 1700 ft.
Transport wind
increases to SSE to SSW at 4 - 8 mph.
Surface wind similar to morning.
EVENING
Mixing height
lowers below 1000 ft.
Transport wind
ESE to S at 4 - 8 mph.
Surface wind similar to afternoon.
OUTLOOK:
THURSDAY
Mixing height
below 1000 ft during the morning rising to 1800 to 2800 ft during the
afternoon. Transport wind light and
variable. Surface wind light and
variable.
FRIDAY
In the Coast
Range mixing height below 1000 ft early rising to 2200 to 3200 ft by late
morning and through the afternoon. In
the Cascades mixing height below 1000 ft during the morning rising to 2200 to
3200 ft during the afternoon. Transport
wind ESE to S at 4 - 8 mph during the morning becoming ESE to SSE at 8 - 14 mph
during the afternoon. Surface wind light
and variable during the morning becoming E to SE at 4 - 8 mph during the
afternoon.
SATURDAY
Mixing height
below 1000 ft early rising to 2400 to 3400 ft by late morning rising above 5000
ft during the afternoon. Transport wind SE
to S at 10 - 22 mph during the morning becoming S to SSW at 18 - 32 mph during
the afternoon. Surface wind ESE to S at
6 - 10 mph.
3. BURNING INSTRUCTIONS FOR ALL ZONES IN THE
WESTERN OREGON AREA
- Valid for burning done Wednesday,
December 31, 2025.
=================================================================
Coast Range
***Avoid
ignitions before 10 a.m. in all zones.
Complete ignitions by 2:30 p.m. in all zones.***
Zone 601
Units should be
1500 tons or less, spaced 12 miles apart, and 12 miles from downwind
SSRAs. North of Tillamook, use standard
guidance matrix - see section 5 below.
Zone 602 and 603
Units should be
300 tons or less, spaced 12 miles apart, and 12 miles from downwind SSRAs. North of T3N in Zone 602, use standard
guidance matrix - see section 5 below.
Units may be 900 tons or less, spaced 12 miles apart, south of the
Siuslaw River in Zone 603.
Zone 612
Units should be
1200 tons or less, spaced 12 miles apart, and 12 miles from downwind SSRAs.
Zone 615, 616
west of R8W, 618, 619, and 620
Use standard
guidance matrix - see section 5 below.
Avoid burning directly upwind of the North Bend/Coos Bay SSRA.
Zone 616 east of
R9W
Units should be
900 tons or less, spaced 12 miles apart, and 12 miles from downwind SSRAs. Higher tonnage is possible south of T29S -
call the forecaster.
Cascades
***Avoid
ignitions before 10 a.m. in all zones.
Complete ignitions by 2:30 p.m. in all zones.***
Zone 605, 606,
and 616
Units should be 600
tons or less, spaced 12 miles apart, and 12 miles from downwind SSRAs.
Zone 607, 608,
639, 610, and 623
Use standard
guidance matrix - see section 5 below.
Ensure adequate distance from downwind SSRAs for smoke to dissipate.
Zone 611 and 617
Units should be
900 tons or less, spaced 12 miles apart, and 12 miles from downwind SSRAs.
Zone 620 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 2:30 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.