Jefferson County Smoke Management Program

The Jefferson County Smoke Management Program is a cooperative effort of Jefferson County Seed Growers and the Jefferson County Rural Fire Protection District, committed to a safe, controlled agricultural field burning season that insures public safety and minimizes, to the greatest degree possible, impacts of smoke on the communities of Central Oregon.

Seasonal Timeline

July

Growers register their acres for burning.   Season begins late July.  Daily detailed weather forecasts and dispersion indexes are obtained via Oregon Department of Agriculture meteorologists.  Daily temperature flights gather data to track inversions and aide in determining the time of day for ideal smoke dispersal conditions.  Pilot balloons are released daily, and more often as needed, to confirm forecasted wind directions and speeds.

August

Season continues.  The final two weeks of August have been the heaviest burning days in previous seasons.  Highway burns are coordinated and scheduled with assistance from Jefferson County Sheriff deputies for traffic control. 

September

Open field burning season ends around the third week in September.  After this date, no OPEN field burning is to be conducted until after year end.  However, a separate Propane Flaming and Vine Burning Season is extended 4 weeks beyond the end of the regular season, to allow the flaming and burning of the crops harvested later in the season, such as potato vines and carrot vines.

October

Propane Flaming/Vine burning season ends 4 weeks after the regular season ends.  Final reports are prepared for evaluation of the season.