SMOKE MANAGEMENT
FORECAST AND INSTRUCTIONS
SALEM FORESTRY
WEATHER CENTER
OREGON DEPARTMENT
OF FORESTRY
ISSUED: Tuesday,
April 29, 2025
2:30 PM Pete Parsons
******************** Instruction
Zones Update ***********************
The National Weather Service recently
changed borders and numbering of their fire zones. ODF will use the
previous zone boundaries for smoke management and not change with these
updates.
A link to ODF’s smoke forecast
zones is at the bottom of the instructions in the Special Notes section.
(https://www.oregon.gov/odf/fire/documents/smoke-forecast-zone-map.pdf)
*********************************************************************
1. DISCUSSION AND
FORECAST FOR NORTHEAST FORECAST AREA ZONES 637-646
A
drying NW-N flow aloft clears skies on Wednesday with sunny skies warming
temperatures to about 5°F above average.
Daytime mixing will be good with slackening NW-N winds.
EXTENDED
DISCUSSION
An upper-level ridge builds over the region on Thursday,
bringing sunny and unseasonably warm conditions. After morning inversions, temperatures will
climb to 10-15°F above average, providing good afternoon mixing with light SE winds.
On Friday, the upper-level ridge progresses eastward, to
over the Rockies, with increasing S-SW flow aloft destabilizing the air mass. Temperatures should warm to about 15°F above
average with a chance of showers or thundershowers by evening. Expect good afternoon mixing with increasing
SE-S winds.
A moist and unstable southerly flow aloft should bring
widespread showers on Saturday, as a potent upper-level trough comes onshore
into northern California. Rainfall
totals may locally exceed .25”, especially south and over higher terrain, with
temperatures cooling to near average. Expect
good daytime mixing and increasing NW winds.
2. DISPERSION
WEDNESDAY
Mixing height
below 1500 ft early rising to 2500 - 3500 ft by late morning. Afternoon mixing height rises above 5000 ft
then lowers to 2000 - 3000 ft during the evening.
Transport wind NW
to N at 4 - 8 mph.
Surface wind
light and variable and controlled by local terrain during the morning. Surface wind increases to NW to NNE at 4 - 8
mph during the afternoon and evening.
OUTLOOK:
THURSDAY
Mixing height
below 1000 ft early rising to 2500 to 3500 ft by late morning rising above 5000
ft during the afternoon. Transport wind
ESE to SSE at 4 - 8 mph during the morning becoming light and variable during
the afternoon. Surface wind light and
variable.
FRIDAY
Mixing height
below 1000 ft early rising to 2500 to 3500 ft by late morning rising above 5000
ft during the afternoon. Transport wind
SSE to SSW at 8 - 12 mph. Surface wind
SE to S at 5 - 9 mph.
SATURDAY
Mixing height
below 1000 ft early rising to 2500 to 3500 ft by late morning rising to 4000 to
5000 ft during the afternoon. Transport
wind WNW to NNW at 8 - 12 mph. Surface
wind W to NW at 4 - 8 mph.
3. BURNING
INSTRUCTIONS FOR NORTHEAST OREGON ZONES 637-646
- Valid for burning done Wednesday, April
30, 2025.
==================================================================
Follow standard
guidance matrix - see section 5 below - for burning units to the NW through NNE
of SSRAs. For units that will smolder
significantly through the night avoid burning within at least 15 miles in all
directions of SSRAs. Verify transport
winds away from SSRAs if burning in any other direction. No additional
restrictions necessary.
=========================================================
4. SPECIAL NOTE:
The ODF forecast
smoke zones differ from the NWS fire zones and
are available at:
https://www.oregon.gov/odf/fire/documents/smoke-forecast-zone-map.pdf
The smoke management forecaster is
available at (503)-
945-7401. Please call this number and not
individual's
numbers to discuss daily burning. For large burns (over
2000 tons) or burns extending over a
considerable period,
please request a
special forecast. Avoid calling
between 1:30 to 2:45 p.m.
http://www.odf.state.or.us/DIVISIONS/protection/fire_protection/
Daily/neo.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.