SMOKE MANAGEMENT
FORECAST AND INSTRUCTIONS
SALEM FORESTRY
WEATHER CENTER
OREGON DEPARTMENT
OF FORESTRY
ISSUED: Friday,
November 14, 2025
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 “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 NORTHEAST
FORECAST AREA ZONES 637-646
A few showers are
likely far north on Saturday but most will be dry with
partly sunny skies. Mixing heights will
be suppressed with warmer air aloft. Broad
upper-level ridging will have light flow.
Winds will be light from SSE-S.
Temperatures will climb well-above average.
Showers increase
with a system moving SE of the state and an upper-level trough shifting toward
the coast. Rainfall amounts will range
from 0.05-0.25”. Light surface winds
will be variable in direction. Transport
winds are expected from SSE-SW. Temperatures
will be above seasonable and mixing heights will be fair to good.
EXTENDED DISCUSSION
A few showers continue early Monday
with amounts under 0.05”. Flow aloft
will be from S as the upper-level trough moves inland. Winds will come from S-SW, light at the
surface. Temperatures will be near
average. Mixing heights improve.
Tuesday will be dry with partly sunny
skies. Flow aloft will come from
SW. Light surface winds will be from
S-SW while transport winds will come from SSW.
Mixing heights will be mostly good with seasonable temperatures.
2. DISPERSION
SATURDAY
Mixing height
below 500 ft early rising to 1000 - 1800 ft by late morning. Afternoon mixing height rises to 1600 - 2600
ft then lowers below 1000 ft during the evening.
Transport wind
light and variable and controlled by local terrain during the morning. Transport wind increases to ESE to S at 4 - 8
mph during the afternoon and evening.
Surface wind
light and variable and controlled by local terrain.
OUTLOOK:
SUNDAY
Mixing height
below 1000 ft early rising to 1800 to 2800 ft by late morning and through the
afternoon. Transport wind ESE to S at 4
- 8 mph. Surface wind light and
variable.
MONDAY
Mixing height
3000 to 4000 ft during the morning rising to 4500 to 5000 ft during the
afternoon. Transport wind SSE to SSW at
6 - 10 mph. Surface wind ESE to S at 4 -
8 mph.
TUESDAY
Mixing height
2000 to 3000 ft during the morning rising to 3300 to 4300 ft during the
afternoon. Transport wind S to SW 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, November 15 through 17, 2025.
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For Saturday:
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.
For Sunday:
Delay
ignitions until 10 a.m.
Follow standard guidance matrix - see section 5 below - for burning units to
the SE through WSW of SSRAs. For units
that will smolder significantly through the night avoid burning within at least
25 miles to the SE through WSW in or near drainages leading to SSRAs. Verify transport winds away from SSRAs if
burning in any other direction. No additional restrictions necessary.
For Monday:
Follow standard
guidance matrix - see section 5 below - for burning units to the SE through WSW
of SSRAs. For units that will smolder
significantly through the night avoid burning within at least 25 miles to the
SE through WSW in or near drainages leading to SSRAs. Verify transport winds away from SSRAs if
burning in any other direction. No additional restrictions necessary.
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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.