SMOKE MANAGEMENT
FORECAST AND INSTRUCTIONS
SALEM FORESTRY
WEATHER CENTER
OREGON DEPARTMENT
OF FORESTRY
ISSUED: Friday,
January 9, 2026
2:30 PM Sherri Pugh
**************** Air Stagnation Advisory Information
****************
An Air Stagnation Advisory may be in effect for your
area (consult the link below for the latest information). Please use extra precautions and limit forestland burning to units
that will not worsen air quality within nearby SSRAs.
* Current Air Stagnation Advisories: https://www.weather.gov/wrh/.
*
*********************************************************************
1. DISCUSSION AND FORECAST FOR NORTHEAST
FORECAST AREA ZONES 637-646
Dry and stable conditions from
Saturday will last through the weekend.
Upper-level ridging will park over the region with impacts continuing
into the week ahead. Skies will be
mostly sunny with a few mid-to-high level clouds. Light surface winds will be from SSE-S. Transport winds are expected from S-SSW. Temperatures will rise above average. Mixing heights will be suppressed with less
burning near SSRAs.
Sunday will have similar weather with
mostly sunny skies and above average temperatures. Surface winds will light from SSE-S and
transport winds will come from S-SSW.
Mixing heights will be poor.
EXTENDED DISCUSSION
Mostly sunny skies are likely Monday
with the upper-level ridge in place.
Surface winds will be light and variable, somewhat from SSE-S. Transport winds will come from SSW-SW. Mixing heights will be suppressed.
Tuesday continues the pattern of
stable weather and mostly sunny skies.
Temperatures will climb to well-above
average. Light winds will be from SSE-S
for surface winds and S-SSW for transport winds. Mixing heights will be low.
2. DISPERSION
SATURDAY
Zone 640, 642,
and 644 West of R35E:
Mixing height
below 500 ft during the morning rising to 1000 - 1900 ft during the afternoon
lowering below 1000 ft during the evening.
Transport wind
SSE to SSW at 8 - 12 mph.
Surface wind
light and variable and controlled by local terrain during the morning. Surface wind increases to SSE to SSW at 4 - 8
mph during the afternoon and evening.
Zone 637, 643,
645, 646, and 644 East of R34E:
Mixing height
below 500 ft during the morning rising to 1000 - 1900 ft during the afternoon
lowering below 1000 ft during the evening.
Transport wind
SSE to SSW at 6 - 10 mph throughout the day.
Surface wind
light and variable and controlled by local terrain during the morning. Surface wind increases to ESE to S at 4 - 8
mph during the afternoon and evening.
OUTLOOK:
SUNDAY
Mixing height
below 1000 ft during the morning rising to 1000 to 1900 ft during the
afternoon. Transport wind SE to SSW at 6
- 10 mph. Surface wind light and
variable during the morning becoming ESE to S at 4 - 8 mph during the
afternoon.
MONDAY
Mixing height
below 1000 ft during the morning rising to 1000 to 1900 ft during the
afternoon. Transport wind light and
variable during the morning becoming S to SW at 4 - 8 mph during the afternoon. Surface wind light and variable during the
morning becoming ESE to S at 4 - 8 mph during the afternoon.
TUESDAY
Mixing height
below 1000 ft during the morning rising to 1000 to 1900 ft during the
afternoon. Transport wind SSE to SSW at
4 - 8 mph. Surface wind light and
variable.
3. BURNING INSTRUCTIONS FOR NORTHEAST OREGON
ZONES 637-646
- Valid for burning done Saturday through
Monday, January 10 through 12, 2026.
==================================================================
For Saturday:
Zone 640, 642,
and 644 West of R35E:
Delay
ignitions until 10 a.m.
Follow standard guidance matrix - see section 5 below - for burning units to
the SE through SW of SSRAs. For units
that will smolder significantly through the night avoid burning within at least
30 miles to the SE through SW in or near drainages leading to SSRAs. Complete ignitions by 3 p.m. No
additional restrictions necessary.
Zone 637, 643,
645, 646, and 644 East of R34E:
Delay
ignitions until 10 a.m.
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 ESE through SSW in or near drainages leading to SSRAs. Complete ignitions by 3 p.m. No
additional restrictions necessary.
For Sunday:
Delay
ignitions until 10 a.m.
Follow standard guidance matrix - see section 5 below - for burning units to
the SE through SW of SSRAs. For units
that will smolder significantly through the night avoid burning within at least
30 miles to the SE through SW in or near drainages leading to SSRAs. Complete ignitions by 3 p.m. No
additional restrictions necessary.
For Monday:
Delay
ignitions until 10 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.
=========================================================
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.