SMOKE MANAGEMENT
FORECAST AND INSTRUCTIONS
SALEM FORESTRY
WEATHER CENTER
OREGON DEPARTMENT
OF FORESTRY
ISSUED: Friday,
May 22, 2026 2:30 PM Gary Votaw
************************ Holiday
Schedule ***************************
The ODF forecast
office will be closed on Memorial Day (Monday, May 25th). This forecast
includes burning instructions through Tuesday, May 26th.
For questions
regarding prescribed burning planned for this period, please call the forecast
office at 503-945-7401 prior to 5 p.m. today or after 7 a.m. on Tuesday, May
26th.
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1. DISCUSSION AND FORECAST FOR SOUTH CENTRAL
OREGON ZONES 624 AND 625
SHORT-TERM
DISCUSSION
Flow aloft will
be WSW-W and weak on Saturday and Sunday.
Expect sunny and warm conditions, temperatures reaching about 10oF
above average. Burning potential is excellent
on both days with SW winds.
EXTENDED
DISCUSSION
On Monday an
upper trough from the Gulf of Alaska will be gathering strength but slowing
down as it approaches the coast. It will
cause SSW-SW flow aloft along with mostly sunny and warm conditions, also
becoming windy. A strong cold front
arrives by late afternoon or early evening causing winds shifting W and turning
colder. Before the front passes mixing
conditions will be excellent with SW winds.
The
cold front sweeps through the region early Monday night. The upper trough moves SE into Oregon to
cause much colder conditions, about 15oF below the seasonal average. There will be showers on Monday night and Tuesday
but generally less than .10” of potential moisture and the snow level drops late
to 5-6000 feet. Very good mixing is expected
by Tuesday afternoon with light NW-N winds.
2. DISPERSION
SATURDAY
Mixing height below
1000 ft early rising above 5000 ft by late morning and throughout the afternoon.
Transport wind SW
to WSW at 10 - 16 mph.
Surface wind SSW
to WSW at 4 - 8 mph.
OUTLOOK:
SUNDAY
Mixing height
below 1000 ft early rising above 5000 ft by late morning and through the
afternoon. Transport wind SSE to SSW at
6 - 12 mph during the morning becoming SSW to WSW at 10 - 18 mph during the
afternoon. Surface wind light and
variable during the morning becoming SSW to WSW at 5 - 9 mph during the
afternoon.
MONDAY
Mixing height
below 1000 ft early rising above 5000 ft by late morning and through the
afternoon. Transport wind SSW to SW at
16 - 30 mph during the morning becoming SW to WSW at 21 - 37 mph during the
afternoon. Surface wind SSW to SW at 12
- 22 mph during the morning becoming SW to WSW at 18 - 32 mph during the
afternoon.
TUESDAY
Mixing height
below 1000 ft early rising above 5000 ft by late morning and through the
afternoon. Transport wind WSW to NW at 6
- 10 mph during the morning becoming NW to N at 6 - 10 mph during the
afternoon. Surface wind W to NW at 4 - 8
mph during the morning becoming NW to N 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
Tuesday, May 23 through 26, 2026.
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For Saturday:
Follow standard
guidance matrix - see section 5 below - for burning units to the SW through WNW
of SSRAs. For units that will smolder
significantly through the night avoid burning within at least 10 miles to the
SE through WNW in or near drainages leading to SSRAs. No additional restrictions necessary.
For Sunday:
Follow standard
guidance matrix - see section 5 below - for burning units to the S through NW
of SSRAs. For units that will smolder
significantly through the night avoid burning within at least 10 miles to the
SE through NW in or near drainages leading to SSRAs. Watch for shifting transport winds. No
additional restrictions necessary.
For Monday:
Follow standard
guidance matrix - see section 5 below - for burning units to the SSW through
WNW of SSRAs. For units that will
smolder significantly through the night avoid burning within at least 5 miles
to the SSW through NW in or near drainages leading to SSRAs. Care needed in selecting units as smoke will
likely fumigate along the ground in wind prone areas. No additional
restrictions necessary.
For Tuesday:
Follow standard
guidance matrix - see section 5 below - for burning units to the WSW through N
of SSRAs. For units that will smolder
significantly through the night avoid burning within at least 10 miles to the
WSW through NE in or near drainages leading to SSRAs. No additional restrictions necessary.
==============================================================
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.