Controlled Burn

Spiider

5 year old buck +
I did my 1st controlled burn over the last couple weekends!

I've been reading up and watching tutorials for a few years, in preparation. The strip on the right (aerial drone image), was our initial test strip, which was a simple back burn into the wind to see if we felt like we could contain and control it. We felt like we could, we ran a wet line around that entire perimeter with a quad armed with a 25 gallon sprayer with booms and a spray wand. And we had 2 hoses in the back of the house to reach the various fruit and pine trees we are growing.

The next day we started phase II, which was the burn along the house and down past the rest of the fruit trees.. We used a back burn and flank fire to burn back and down. Wet lines again were used to control the lines. I was the fire captain setting the drip torch juice down (I went with a 3/1 mixture of Diesel/Gasoline), carrying a 4 gallon backpack sprayer. My friend and wife helped and carried a 4 gallon tank/leaf blower combo. Kids had rakes and shovels. My youngest helped with drone video and pictures.

Phase III was the rest of the large portion, around the small shed, and along another field of Switchgrass and Miscanthus Giganteus. This area was critical to burn properly to keep it from jumping the break line and starting a new fire. Wet lines and backpack sprayers were used heavily here and we were able to keep it contained and nobody was hurt! Once we had the North edge done, I went around and started the head fire to meet the back burn just past the center. Few heart pounding and HOT moments of course. What you can't see, is how wet the east (far right) area is. It was an easy fire break to follow, but tough to get anything to burn as well.

The wind didn't cooperate until the next week to burn down a bunch of Miscanthus and then a small section next to the house. Very pleased with how it all went.
 

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Last edited:
Looks good!
 
If conditions are good we will be doing 15-20 acres on Saturday. Fingers crossed.
 
I rather enjoying prescribed fire.
 
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