Prescribed Burn

BrushyPines

5 year old buck +
Just did my first burn on my property yesterday. I was very nervous at first, but felt a lot better half way through it :emoji_laughing: I had a buddy that is pretty experienced with burns and helped me through it. I learned a lot just off that one burn. I plan to put some before and after pics on this thread later on of the burnt area, if anyone has any before and after pics feel free to share them here. Just wondering if anyone else has done a prescribed burn and what results they have had from it. Also, if anyone has any tips on burning or just wants to discuss prescribed burns, I'm all ears. Wanting to learn as much as I can to one day do a burn on my own.
 
I did a burn last March to get rid of some weeds and Reed Canary Grass thatch that was covering a wet field below my house. Before we burned we hared up 2 rows (about 10-12') wide around the outside of the field and then had 5-6 guys ready with rakes and shovels ready along with some buckets and a 4 wheeler sprayer full. My friend had a weed torch that was a huge help in getting things rolling. The fire did a great job of getting rid of the thatch and I planted it last fall with moderate success with WR and some buckwheat. Hoping to get the RCG more under control this year and get some alsike, MRC and oats growing. IMG_3841.JPG
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Good weather conditions is the #1 key. Burning is relatively stress free with good conditions and scary as hell in poor conditions. There are lots of good info out there with dewpoint, wind speeds, etc for optimal burning. I'll burn smaller fields under 5 acres by myself, and 160 acres with 2 or 3 guys, but the conditions have to be perfect. Every year I shake my head when people light up in the spring with low humidity and 20 mph winds.
 
Fire breaks are your friend! LOL
My wife and I can handle anything under a few acres. Our biggest issue came last year on a day with light and VARIABLE winds. Should have held off for more predictable winds. A fire will generate its own air currents on a very light wind day. Our fire got far enough ahead of us that I felt we were possibly jeopardizing one of our buildings, called the fire dept.. We had it under control when the trucks rolled up, so not sure the call was probably warranted, but better safe than really sorry!
 
I mow now and use an old side hay rake to rake thatch into what will be burned and by early spring i will be greened up.It just doesn't look good when the fire chief has to call the FD
 
Burning open fields that are low growing like that are some of the easiest burns to keep under control provided you have the right conditions. If find burning clear-cuts and woods much more challenging. It is hard to keep all the participants in view and in some cases impossible. It can also be hard to communicate. We have a burn planned for later this month or next. Our prescribed burner is not beginning to watch the weather.
 
When I was a kid everyone on the neighborhood would burn the RCG out of their ditches. I learned a lot as a kid about burning. I think that went a long ways to controlling the tick population. Now hardly anyone burns but I have the last few years up on my land and I have noticed a difference in the ticks.
 
When I was a kid everyone on the neighborhood would burn the RCG out of their ditches. I learned a lot as a kid about burning. I think that went a long ways to controlling the tick population. Now hardly anyone burns but I have the last few years up on my land and I have noticed a difference in the ticks.
Hard to believe but burning has proven to increase the number of ticks in some cases . The researchers actually take duct tape and count ticks per foot . Seams that if an area doesn't have a lot to attract wildlife that carry ticks the tick population will be low . Burning helps forage plants and attracts wildlife which means more ticks.


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When I was a kid everyone on the neighborhood would burn the RCG out of their ditches. I learned a lot as a kid about burning. I think that went a long ways to controlling the tick population. Now hardly anyone burns but I have the last few years up on my land and I have noticed a difference in the ticks.
Last spring after snow melt ticks were bad by me, I was thinking it was going to be a bad year, but then it never rained last summer, and it was so dry, I do t think I saw a tick from June on.

I am in so much of a forest area that a burn could really get bad, if it got bad. It isn’t worth the risk for me.
 
Good weather conditions is the #1 key. Burning is relatively stress free with good conditions and scary as hell in poor conditions. There are lots of good info out there with dewpoint, wind speeds, etc for optimal burning. I'll burn smaller fields under 5 acres by myself, and 160 acres with 2 or 3 guys, but the conditions have to be perfect. Every year I shake my head when people light up in the spring with low humidity and 20 mph winds.
It was a great day to burn. Winds were around 5 mph and humidity was around the 25% range. I had no idea humidity was a huge factor for burning, but it makes sense as to why you want lower humidity. My buddy said a range of 25-50% humidity was great for burning.
 
Fire breaks are your friend! LOL
My wife and I can handle anything under a few acres. Our biggest issue came last year on a day with light and VARIABLE winds. Should have held off for more predictable winds. A fire will generate its own air currents on a very light wind day. Our fire got far enough ahead of us that I felt we were possibly jeopardizing one of our buildings, called the fire dept.. We had it under control when the trucks rolled up, so not sure the call was probably warranted, but better safe than really sorry!
Funny you say that. We started off with a backing fire, but it just wasn't burning good. With the wind as light as it was (around 5mph), we ended up lighting the other side to create a head fire. We were sitting there watching it burn and it started getting breezy. I looked at my buddy and said crap the wind is starting to get up. He said it wasn't the wind, it was the backing fire pulling oxygen from the head fire creating a breeze. I thought that was interesting and he explained to me the reason he started the head fire was to make the backing fire burn better and it burned like a champ after that.
 
Funny you say that. We started off with a backing fire, but it just wasn't burning good. With the wind as light as it was (around 5mph), we ended up lighting the other side to create a head fire. We were sitting there watching it burn and it started getting breezy. I looked at my buddy and said crap the wind is starting to get up. He said it wasn't the wind, it was the backing fire pulling oxygen from the head fire creating a breeze. I thought that was interesting and he explained to me the reason he started the head fire was to make the backing fire burn better and it burned like a champ after that.
Yes, fire can create its own wind once it gets going. It depends on conditions, but I kind of like strips best. I'll usually start a backing fire to get good black and keep things in check. I'll then walk ahead of the fire lighting strips. This give me a heading fire going back to the black and starts a backing fire into the next strip. Conditions dictate the size of each strip. I find this is faster than watching a backing fire slowly creep along, but again, it depends on conditions. Humidity and soil moisture also plays a significant role in how fire behaves. I hope to get to a prescribed burner class for our state in the next few years, but until then, we will continue to hire a burn coordinator that is certified.

Thanks,

Jack
 
I like a med humidity when starting with a rise in humidity about time I plan on it going out.I usually burn around 3 hours before dark.
 
I love the results of fire but more often than not, when I light one I quickly end up in a panic sucking in smoke while I try to beat it back. I've had plenty of scary fires that got big quick. I'm getting better at it as I get more respect for what fire can do. Green grass is not always the fire break I used to think it was. I've watched several burn right through it when conditions aren't great.

One thing I have learned is the power of a little water. A 2 gallon hand held sprayer can surprisingly often stop a pretty scary fire . A 25 gallon sprayer with a nozzle on an atv is even better. The old shovel method I used to use is not even close to the effectiveness at controlling fire.
 
Getting ready to burn on my farm. I got my neighbor to do the firebreaks since I have no tractor and I'm so far away. If the weather cooperates, I'll burn at the end of the month.
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That is what the ground looks like under this snow.
 
Here are the results from the burn. Going to post some more pics in a few months to this thread. Anxious to see the results! I have tried to post a video that I emailed myself from my phone. Cannot figure out how to post the video on here.
 
Yes, fire can create its own wind once it gets going. It depends on conditions, but I kind of like strips best. I'll usually start a backing fire to get good black and keep things in check. I'll then walk ahead of the fire lighting strips. This give me a heading fire going back to the black and starts a backing fire into the next strip. Conditions dictate the size of each strip. I find this is faster than watching a backing fire slowly creep along, but again, it depends on conditions. Humidity and soil moisture also plays a significant role in how fire behaves. I hope to get to a prescribed burner class for our state in the next few years, but until then, we will continue to hire a burn coordinator that is certified.

Thanks,

Jack
We kind of did the same thing, Jack. We lit the backing fire, walked another 100 yards and lit a head fire. Then went to the opposite side fire break and lit a head fire. I tried to post a video of what this looked like but cannot figure out how to get the video on here.
 
I love the results of fire but more often than not, when I light one I quickly end up in a panic sucking in smoke while I try to beat it back. I've had plenty of scary fires that got big quick. I'm getting better at it as I get more respect for what fire can do. Green grass is not always the fire break I used to think it was. I've watched several burn right through it when conditions aren't great.

One thing I have learned is the power of a little water. A 2 gallon hand held sprayer can surprisingly often stop a pretty scary fire . A 25 gallon sprayer with a nozzle on an atv is even better. The old shovel method I used to use is not even close to the effectiveness at controlling fire.
A plan and prep work went a long way for us. We spent more time blowing fire lanes and around my trees that I have planted than we did actually burning! One nice thing was I have a wide creek that was a natural fire break for us. The soil was so damp in the bottom that the fire didn't even reach the creek.
 
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