SMOKE MANAGEMENT
FORECAST AND INSTRUCTIONS
SALEM FORESTRY
WEATHER CENTER
OREGON DEPARTMENT
OF FORESTRY
ISSUED: Friday,
January 27, 2023
2:30 PM Sherri Pugh
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* Special Protection Zone (SPZ) provisions
apply from November 15 through February 15.
Prescribed burning is not allowed on Red
woodstove days in an SPZ from December 1 through February 15. Burning is
allowed inside of SPZs on green and yellow woodstove 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 SOUTH CENTRAL
OREGON ZONES 624 AND 625
SHORT-TERM DISCUSSION
A cold upper-level trough moves into
the region Saturday with increasing showers.
Totals will be light with less than 0.10” rainfall and a few inches of high
elevation snow. Mixing heights increase
as snow levels drop near 4000 feet.
Light winds will be variable at the surface and W-NW for transport
winds. Temperatures fall below average.
Showers linger for the morning with
decrease clouds and cold temperatures on Sunday. Flow aloft comes from NE as the upper-level
trough shifts out of the region. Winds
increase from NNE with temperatures as cold as 10° below seasonable. Snow levels dip under 3000 feet and mixing heights
will be good.
EXTENDED DISCUSSION
Mostly sunny skies and below average
temperatures are expected Monday. Light
winds aloft come from N with upper-level ridging. Winds become light from E-ESE. Mixing heights decrease with snow levels
rising to 3-4000 feet.
More clouds arrive Tuesday with
partly to mostly cloudy skies. Upper-level
flow comes from NW with just below average temperatures. Mixing heights will be fair. Light winds will be SSW at the surface and SW
for transport winds.
2. DISPERSION
SATURDAY
Mixing height
below 500 ft early rising to 2000 - 3000 ft by late morning. Afternoon mixing height remains near 2000 -
3000 ft then lowers below 1000 ft during the evening.
Transport wind
WNW to NNW at 4 - 8 mph during the morning.
Transport wind shifts to WSW to WNW at 4 - 8 mph during the afternoon
and shifts to NW to N at 4 - 8 mph during the evening.
Surface wind
light and variable and controlled by local terrain.
OUTLOOK:
SUNDAY
Mixing height
below 1000 ft early rising to 1500 - 2500 ft by late morning and through the
afternoon. Transport wind NNE to NE at
12 - 22 mph during the morning becoming NNE to NE at 15 - 29 mph during the
afternoon. Surface wind N to NE at 9 -
15 mph.
MONDAY
Mixing height
below 300 ft during the morning rising to 1500 - 2500 ft during the afternoon
lowering below 1000 ft during the evening.
Transport wind ENE to ESE at 4 - 8 mph during the morning and afternoon. Transport wind becomes light and variable and
controlled by local terrain during the evening.
Surface wind light and variable and controlled by local terrain.
TUESDAY
Mixing height
below 1000 ft early rising to 1000 - 2000 ft by late morning and through the
afternoon. Transport wind SSW to WSW at
4 - 8 mph. Surface wind light and
variable.
3. BURNING INSTRUCTIONS FOR ZONES 624 AND 625
INCLUDING THE WALKER
RANGE PORTION OF ZONE 624
- Valid for burning done Saturday, Sunday, and
Monday January 28 - 30, 2023.
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For Saturday:
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 25 miles in all
directions of SSRAs. Verify transport
winds away from SSRAs if burning in any other direction. Watch for shifting transport winds. Complete ignitions by 3 p.m. No additional restrictions necessary.
For Sunday:
Follow standard
guidance matrix - see section 5 below - for burning units to the N through NE
of SSRAs. For units that will smolder
significantly through the night avoid burning within at least 30 miles to the N
through ENE in or near drainages leading to SSRAs. Care needed in selecting units as smoke will
likely fumigate along the ground in wind prone areas. Complete ignitions by 3 p.m. No additional restrictions necessary.
For Monday:
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. Complete ignitions by 3
p.m. 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.