SMOKE MANAGEMENT
FORECAST AND INSTRUCTIONS
SALEM FORESTRY
WEATHER CENTER
OREGON DEPARTMENT
OF FORESTRY
ISSUED: Friday,
October 23, 2026
3:15 PM Pete Parsons
*********************************************************************
Information Regarding Smoke Management
Forecasts/Instructions:
Like last year,
the forecast office will be staffed Monday – Friday from 7 a.m. until 5 p.m.
(closed on weekends and state holidays).
There will be
significant changes this season (details below):
Written forecasts
will be issued in the afternoons (like before) but only on Mondays, Wednesdays,
and Fridays unless updates are needed.
Forecasts will include burning instructions for multiple days.
Please continue to
call the ODF forecast office at 503-945-7401 with questions or for special
smoke clearance through October.
Beginning in November, those calls should be made to your local ODF
field office (details on that to follow).
Thank you!
*********************************************************************
1. DISCUSSION AND
FORECAST FOR SOUTH CENTRAL OREGON ZONES 624 AND 625
SHORT-TERM DISCUSSION
Showers have ended and skies will clear from west to east
across the region this evening. High
pressure builds over the area this weekend for a return to sunny skies. Frosty starts, with areas of fog, will give
way to sunny afternoons with maximum temperatures recovering to near
average. After morning inversions, expect
fair-to-good daytime mixing with SE-S winds on Saturday turning more S-SW on
Sunday.
EXTENDED DISCUSSION
An upper-level trough is predicted to come ashore on Monday,
with the main impact over southern Oregon and northern California. Look for increasing clouds with a chance of rain
or snow by afternoon, as snow levels drop to 5-6000 feet. High temperatures will be about 5°F below
average with cooling aloft promoting good daytime mixing. Transport winds
increase from the S-SW.
A broad upper-level trough sets up camp over Oregon on
Tuesday, bringing lots of clouds and possibly a few showers. Daytime temperatures will be below average
with snow levels 5-6000 feet. Expect good
daytime mixing with W-NW transport winds.
2. DISPERSION
SATURDAY
Mixing height
below 1000 ft early rising to 1000 - 1700 ft by late morning. Afternoon mixing height rises to 3000 - 4000
ft then lowers to 1000 - 1700 ft during the evening.
Transport wind SE
to SSW at 8 - 12 mph.
Surface wind SE
to S at 4 - 8 mph.
OUTLOOK:
SUNDAY
Mixing height
below 1000 ft early rising to 1000 - 1700 ft by late morning rising to 4000 -
5000 ft during the afternoon. Transport
wind SSE to SSW at 6 - 12 mph during the morning becoming SSW to SW at 12 - 24
mph during the afternoon. Surface wind
SSE to SSW at 4 - 8 mph during the morning becoming SSE to SSW at 8 - 14 mph
during the afternoon.
MONDAY
Mixing height
2600 - 3600 ft during the morning rising to 4500 - 5000 ft during the
afternoon. Transport wind S to SSW at 15
- 25 mph. Surface wind SSE to SSW at 10
- 16 mph.
TUESDAY
Mixing height
2600 - 3600 ft during the morning rising to 4500 - 5000 ft during the
afternoon. Transport wind WSW to WNW at
10 - 20 mph. Surface wind WSW to WNW at
6 - 10 mph.
3. BURNING
INSTRUCTIONS FOR ZONES 624 AND 625 INCLUDING THE WALKER
RANGE PORTION OF ZONE 624
- Valid for burning done Saturday through
Monday, October 24 through 26, 2026.
==================================================================
For Saturday:
Follow standard
guidance matrix - see section 5 below - for burning units to the SE through SSW
of SSRAs. For units that will smolder
significantly through the night avoid burning within at least 30 miles to the
SE through SSW 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 SSE through SW
of SSRAs. For units that will smolder
significantly through the night avoid burning within at least 30 miles to the
SSE through SW in or near drainages leading to SSRAs. No additional restrictions necessary.
For Monday:
Follow standard
guidance matrix - see section 5 below - for burning units to the SSE through
WSW of SSRAs. For units that will
smolder significantly through the night avoid burning within at least 5 miles
to the SSE through NW 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.