SMOKE MANAGEMENT
FORECAST AND INSTRUCTIONS
SALEM FORESTRY
WEATHER CENTER
OREGON DEPARTMENT
OF FORESTRY
ISSUED: Tuesday,
April 14, 2026
2:30 PM Sherri Pugh
1. DISCUSSION AND FORECAST FOR THE WESTERN
OREGON AREA FORECAST ZONES 601-623 and 639
Rain and mountain snow continue into
Wednesday with a potent upper-level low moving into Washington and strong W
flow aloft. Rainfall amounts could reach
0.50” and snow levels will be under 3000 feet.
Winds will be onshore and temperatures will sink below average. Mixing heights will climb high.
EXTENDED DISCUSSION
Thursday will have decreasing showers
and mountain snow as the upper-level low shifts east. Winds will come from WNW-NNW with freezing
levels rising some to 3-4000 feet.
Temperatures will be below seasonable.
Mixing heights will be good.
Mostly dry weather
is expected on Friday other than a few showers far north. Flow aloft will be light from NW as upper-level
ridging builds. Winds will become light
and variable. Temperatures rise to near
average and mixing heights will be fair to good.
Saturday will be dry
with light SW flow aloft as upper-level ridging moves east of the region. Winds will generally come from SE-S and light
at the surface. Temperatures will climb
above average. Mixing heights will be fair
to good with warmer air aloft.
2. DISPERSION
WEDNESDAY
Zone 601, 602,
603 and 612 (North Coast Range):
MORNING
Mixing height
below 1000 ft early rising to 2500 - 3500 ft by late morning.
Transport wind
WNW to NW at 10 - 22 mph.
Surface wind W to
NW at 4 - 8 mph.
AFTERNOON
Mixing height
3300 - 4300 ft.
Transport wind
increases to WNW to NW at 15 - 29 mph.
Surface wind W to
NW at 8 - 12 mph.
EVENING
Mixing height
1500 - 2500 ft.
Transport wind
WNW to NNW at 12 - 24 mph.
Surface wind WSW
to WNW at 4 - 8 mph.
Zone 605-611 and
639 (North Cascades):
MORNING
Mixing height
below 1000 ft early rising to 3500 - 4500 ft by late morning.
Transport wind
WSW to WNW at 10 - 22 mph.
Surface wind WSW
to WNW at 6 - 10 mph.
AFTERNOON
Mixing height
rising above 5000 ft.
Transport wind
increases to WSW to WNW at 18 - 30 mph.
Surface wind similar to morning.
EVENING
Mixing height
1500 - 2500 ft.
Transport wind
decreases to WNW to NW at 10 - 22 mph.
Surface wind similar to afternoon.
Zone 615-620
(South Coast Range):
MORNING
Mixing height
below 2000 ft early rising to 2300 - 3300 ft by late morning.
Transport wind
WNW to NNW at 10 - 22 mph.
Surface wind WNW
to NNW at 4 - 8 mph.
AFTERNOON
Mixing height
3100 - 4100 ft.
Transport wind similar to morning.
Surface wind similar to morning.
EVENING
Mixing height
1500 - 2500 ft.
Transport wind
WNW to NNW at 9 - 15 mph.
Surface wind similar to afternoon.
Zone 616-623
(South Cascades):
MORNING
Mixing height
below 1000 ft early rising to 3500 - 4500 ft by late morning.
Transport wind SW
to WSW at 12 - 24 mph.
Surface wind WSW
to WNW at 4 - 8 mph.
AFTERNOON
Mixing height
rising above 5000 ft.
Transport wind
shifts to WNW to NW at 12 - 24 mph.
Surface wind W to
NW at 4 - 8 mph.
EVENING
Mixing height
1500 - 2500 ft.
Transport wind
WNW to NNW at 10 - 18 mph.
Surface wind WNW
to NNW at 4 - 8 mph.
OUTLOOK:
THURSDAY
Mixing height
below 1000 ft early rising to 3500 to 4500 ft by late morning rising above 5000
ft during the afternoon. Transport wind
WNW to NNW at 5 - 9 mph. Surface wind
light and variable during the morning becoming WNW to NNW at 5 - 9 mph during
the afternoon.
FRIDAY
Mixing height
below 1000 ft early rising to 2400 to 3400 ft by late morning rising to 3100 to
4100 ft during the afternoon. Transport
wind light and variable. Surface wind
light and variable.
SATURDAY
Mixing height
below 1000 ft early rising to 1600 to 2600 ft by late morning rising to 2800 to
3800 ft during the afternoon. Transport
wind light and variable during the morning becoming SE to S at 4 - 8 mph during
the afternoon. Surface wind light and
variable.
3. BURNING INSTRUCTIONS FOR ALL ZONES IN THE
WESTERN OREGON AREA
- Valid for burning done Wednesday, April
15, 2026.
=================================================================
Coast Range
Zone 601 and 612
Units should be
1000 tons or less, spaced 8 miles apart, and 10 miles from downwind SSRAs. Restrict units in or near corridors to 500
tons or less.
Zone 602 and 603
Units should be
400 tons or less, spaced 8 miles apart, and 10 miles from downwind SSRAs. Limit burning in or near corridors. Higher tonnage is possible south of the
Siuslaw River in Zone 603. Call the
forecaster.
Zone 615 and 616
west of R8W
Units should be
1200 tons or less, spaced 8 miles apart, and 10 miles from downwind SSRAs.
Zone 616 east of
R9W
Units should be
750 tons or less, spaced 8 miles apart, and 10 miles from downwind SSRAs.
Zone 618 and 619
Use standard
guidance matrix. (See section 5 below.)
Zone 620
Units should be
300 tons or less, spaced 8 miles apart, and 10 miles from downwind SSRAs. Higher tonnage is possible south of
T35S. Call the forecaster.
Cascades
Zone 605, 606,
607, 608, 639, 616, 617, and 623
Use standard
guidance matrix - see section 5 below.
Ensure adequate distance from downwind SSRAs for smoke to
dissipate. From T15S through T20S in
Zone 608 units should be 1200 tons or less, spaced 3 miles apart.
Zone 610 and 622
Units should be
1200 tons or less, spaced 3 miles apart, and 5 miles from downwind SSRAs. East of R2W in Zone 622, use standard
guidance matrix - see section 5 below.
Zone 611
Units should be
1500 tons or less, spaced 3 miles apart, and 5 miles from downwind SSRAs.
Zone 620
Units should be
750 tons or less, spaced 3 miles apart, and 5 miles from downwind SSRAs.
Siskiyous
Use standard
guidance matrix - see section 5 below. Ensure adequate distance from downwind
SSRAs for smoke to dissipate.
==============================================================
4. SPECIAL NOTES:
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
Call the smoke management duty forecaster
at (503) 945-7401 to
discuss burning. Please do not call individual's numbers to
discuss daily burning. If the forecaster is
not available,
leave a message and they will return your
call as soon as possible.
Avoid calling between 1:30 to 2:45 p.m.
The forecast is available on the Internet
at:
http://www.odf.state.or.us/DIVISIONS/protection/fire_protection/
Daily/smi.htm
Please ensure your units have been planned
and accomplished by
checking:
http://www.oregon.gov/ODF/Fire/Pages/Burn.aspx
A map of planned and/or accomplished burns
is located at:
http://geo.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html
?id=a7e321dc8fc444b7a33fbc67bc673a3b
The forecast/instruction telephone
recording is: (503) 945-7400.
To subscribe to or unsubscribe from the
email list for this
product, please go to the link:
http://weather.smkmgt.com/mailman/listinfo/
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.
Example: 300 tons allowed if burned 5 miles
from a downwind SSRA.
* 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.