Firebreaks inside the edge of the woods

[BenA]

Just thinking about this for a future burn. The last burn on my property in my prairie establishment had wide firebreaks disced around the edges of the field. I'm trying to create a softer edge transition between it and my woods. What if I put the firebreak inside the woodline past where the majority of the fuel is? I would think this would mimic how fires historically acted and make for a softer edge and slow the fire gradually. I would also think I would need a narrower, easier to manage firebreak inside the woods.

 

[S.T.Fanatic]

Most of the time a fire in a closed canopy will die as soon as it hits a deer trail.

 

[BenA]

Most of the time a fire in a closed canopy will die as soon as it hits a deer trail.

That's along the lines of what I was thinking. Or, I could blow out the firebreak with a leaf blower. That's only really going to work until the understory in my woods is made better though, which I'm working on. Then, I'll need to make more of a permanent firebreak somewhere. At that point though, it may be easier to just put in permanent firebreaks on my field edges with perennial clover.

 

[S.T.Fanatic]

Start the fire in the woods and burn it towards the outside.

 

[bigboreblr]

You could make a double firebreak. Burn a line with the wind going towards you arrow firebreak, but have it only go 20 or 30ft. Now you got 25-40ft of firebreak for the majority of the field

Soft edges and little corners and pockets help greatly with getting more daytime deer sightings in a field. Rake underneath the kind of shrubs you would like to see at the field edge. After you burn spread that raked up stuff.