SMOKE MANAGEMENT
FORECAST AND INSTRUCTIONS
SALEM FORESTRY
WEATHER CENTER
OREGON DEPARTMENT
OF FORESTRY
ISSUED: Friday,
March 13, 2026
2:30 PM Sherri Pugh
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A substantial degrade in the forecast products used by
Oregon Department of Forestry meteorologists will cause longer wait-times to
return calls to the forecast line.
Forecasts and instructions may be delayed due to the decline in data.
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1. DISCUSSION AND FORECAST FOR SOUTH CENTRAL
OREGON ZONES 624 AND 625
SHORT-TERM
DISCUSSION
Saturday will have dry
weather with showers staying north. The jet
stream will dip south into the region with strong NW flow aloft. Mixing heights will be good. Strong winds will come from WNW. Temperatures will sink to near average.
Dry weather lasts into Sunday. Flow
aloft will come from NW as upper-level ridging builds. Surface winds will become light and
variable. Transport winds will be from WNW. Temperatures will rise above seasonable. Mixing heights will be fair with warming air aloft.
EXTENDED DISCUSSION
Monday will have dry
weather. Flow aloft will come from NW
with upper-level ridging. Winds will
come from SW-WNW, light at the surface.
Temperatures will climb well above average. Mixing heights will lower some.
Dry weather continues on Tuesday.
The upper-level ridge will shift inland and flow aloft will come from
W. Mixing heights will be fair with
well-above average surface temperatures.
Winds will come from SW.
2. DISPERSION
SATURDAY
Mixing height
below 2000 ft early rising to 2500 - 3500 ft by late morning. Afternoon mixing height 2700 - 3700 ft
lowering to 1000 - 2000 ft during the evening.
Transport wind
WNW to NW at 15 - 25 mph during the morning and afternoon. Transport wind decreases to
WNW to NNW at 9 - 15 mph during the evening.
Surface wind WSW
to WNW at 8 - 12 mph during the morning and afternoon. Surface wind decreases to WNW to NNW at 4 - 8
mph during the evening.
OUTLOOK:
SUNDAY
Mixing height
below 1000 ft early rising to 1300 - 2300 ft by late morning rising to 2300 -
3300 ft during the afternoon. Transport
wind light and variable during the morning becoming W to NW at 4 - 8 mph during
the afternoon. Surface wind light and
variable.
MONDAY
Mixing height
below 1000 ft early rising to 1000 - 2000 ft by late morning rising to 2300 -
3300 ft during the afternoon. Transport
wind W to NW at 4 - 8 mph. Surface wind
light and variable.
TUESDAY
Mixing height
below 1000 ft early rising to 1000 - 2000 ft by late morning rising to 2300 -
3300 ft during the afternoon. Transport
wind SSW to WSW at 4 - 8 mph. Surface
wind light and variable during the morning becoming SSW to WSW at 4 - 8 mph
during the afternoon.
3. BURNING INSTRUCTIONS FOR ZONES 624 AND 625
INCLUDING THE WALKER
RANGE PORTION OF ZONE 624
- Valid for burning done Saturday through
Monday, March 14 through 16, 2026.
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For Saturday:
Follow standard
guidance matrix - see section 5 below - for burning units to the W through NNW
of SSRAs. For units that will smolder
significantly through the night avoid burning within at least 25 miles to the
WSW through NNW in or near drainages leading to SSRAs. No additional restrictions necessary.
For Sunday:
Delay
ignitions until 11 a.m.
Follow standard guidance matrix - see section 5 below - for burning units in
all directions of SSRAs. For units that
will smolder significantly through the night avoid burning within at least 30
miles in all directions of SSRAs. No
additional restrictions necessary.
For Monday:
Delay
ignitions until 11 a.m.
Follow standard guidance matrix - see section 5 below - for burning units to
the SSW through NW of SSRAs. For units
that will smolder significantly through the night avoid burning within at least
30 miles in all directions of SSRAs.
Verify transport winds away from SSRAs if burning in any other
direction. No additional restrictions necessary.
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4. SPECIAL NOTE:
The smoke management forecaster is
available at (503)
945-7401.
The smoke management forecaster is available
to discuss specific burns. The duty forecaster phone
number is (503) 945-7401. Please call this
number and
not individual's numbers to discuss daily
burning. Please
avoid calling between 1:30 to 2:45 p.m.
http://www.odf.state.or.us/DIVISIONS/protection/fire_protection/
Daily/lmt.htm
To subscribe to or unsubscribe from the
email list for this
product, please go to the link:
http://weather.smkmgt.com/mailman/listinfo/
Please ensure your units have been planned
and accomplished by
checking:
http://oregon.gov/ODF/FIRE/SMP/dailysmoke.shtml
A map of planned and/or accomplished burns
is located at:
http://geo.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html
?id=a7e321dc8fc444b7a33fbc67bc673a3b
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.
* 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.