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Wood Heating Advisories & Air Quality

Did you know that Oakridge is prone to wintertime temperature inversions? This is where a layer of warm air sits on top of a layer of cold air near the ground. This happens because the city sits inside of a “bowl” surrounded by ridgelines which restricts the flow of air. Because of these inversions, Oakridge experiences reduced air quality. Wood stoves put off smoke and during inversions that smoke is trapped near the ground and we breathe it in. This has been proven to cause negative health impacts. Using an air purifier in your home is a great way to help mitigate smoke inside. Don’t have one? Visit Oakridge Air to receive your free Grovpure air purifier!


To help combat negative health impacts, Lane Regional Air Protection Agency (LRAPA) issues wood heating advisories. There are three levels of advisory: green, yellow, and red. Green means we have air flow and it is safe to burn wood stoves. Yellow means we have some stagnant air and you should use alternative heat or burn without much smoke. Red means we have an inversion and everyone needs to use an alternative heat source, or be on the City of Oakridge home wood heating exempt list. Even those who are exempt must burn at 20% opacity or less. Abiding by these advisories helps to keep good air quality, even when there is little to no air flow.


During the month of January, Oakridge experienced 20 Green days, 9 Yellow days, and 2 Red days. During the last Red day, we did exceed the EPA air quality standard for one 24 hour period. Despite these inversions, we were able to work together and keep the air cleaner for everyone. By using alternative forms of heat, and burning clean, this helps reduce the amount of smoke in the air. Great job, Oakridge!



Oakridge without an inversion Oakridge with an inversion



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