SMOKE MANAGEMENT FORECAST AND INSTRUCTIONS

SALEM FORESTRY WEATHER CENTER

OREGON DEPARTMENT OF FORESTRY

ISSUED: Wednesday, January 7, 2026 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 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 SOUTH CENTRAL OREGON ZONES 624 AND 625

SHORT-TERM DISCUSSION

Snow showers will mostly end before Thursday. Flow aloft will be strong from NW with an upper-level trough moving east and ridging will build offshore. Freezing levels will stay near 3-4000 feet by the afternoon and mixing heights will be high. Winds will be from WNW-NW. Temperatures will be below seasonable.

EXTENDED DISCUSSION

Friday will be mostly dry. Light flow aloft will be from NW with upper-level ridging. Temperatures will rise to near average. Freezing levels will climb to near 4-5000 feet. Light winds will turn to come from SSE. Mixing heights will start to lower with warmer air aloft.

Saturday continues a dry pattern that will last well into next week under the influence of upper-level ridging. Surface winds will be light from SSE and transport winds will come from S. Temperatures will be above average. Freezing levels will further rise to near 6000 feet. Mixing heights will be suppressed.

The dry weather and stable conditions continue on Sunday under upper-level ridging. Mixing heights will be fair to poor with strong morning inversions. Light surface winds will be from SSE. Transport winds will come from SSE.

2. DISPERSION

THURSDAY

Mixing height below 2000 ft early rising to 3000 - 4000 ft by late morning. Afternoon mixing height rises to 3500 - 4500 ft then lowers below 1000 ft during the evening.

Transport wind WNW to NNW at 10 - 18 mph during the morning and afternoon. Transport wind decreases to WNW to NNW at 8 - 12 mph during the evening.

Surface wind W to NW at 4 - 8 mph during the morning and afternoon. Surface wind becomes light and variable and controlled by local terrain during the evening.

OUTLOOK:

FRIDAY

Mixing height below 1000 ft during the morning rising to 1300 - 2300 ft during the afternoon. Transport wind ESE to S at 4 - 8 mph. Surface wind light and variable during the morning becoming ESE to S at 4 - 8 mph during the afternoon.

SATURDAY

Mixing height 1000 - 2000 ft during the morning and through the afternoon. Transport wind ESE to S at 6 - 10 mph. Surface wind ESE to S at 4 - 8 mph.

SUNDAY

Mixing height below 1000 ft throughout the day. Transport wind ESE to S 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 Thursday, January 8, 2026.

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Follow standard guidance matrix - see section 5 below - for burning units to the WNW through NNW of SSRAs. For units that will smolder significantly through the night avoid burning within at least 25 miles to the WNW through NNW in or near drainages leading to SSRAs. 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.