Is anyone planning a burn?

[muc33]

How is your property holding up, do you have fallen switch grass, weed patches, or unwanted legumes in your plot? Have any of you ever done a prescribed burn on your private property. Do you know the benefits? Do you know the procedures? Would you like to find out how your property could benefit from a prescribed burn?

Lets hear your sucess stories.

Lets find out your questions if you have an interest. Now is the time, lets see who we can help out.

[lawdog]

I am hoping to burn off half of our CRP Switchgrass patch this spring, it is kind of L shaped and I want to burn the north and west portions. Been wondering how to keep the fire away from the volunteer cedars and how to have a break that keeps it from going to the east part I don't want to burn.

Looking forward to seeing any info here...

[goblueM]

you want mineral soil for a break, probably a few feet wide, depending on your fuel load and type, the conditions the day you do the burn, etc. if you wanted to be real fancy you could make two fire lines close together and do a burn-out between them for a real nice line.

[Eric Wettschreck]

Our fire department will be doing a couple of burns this spring. It's a win-win for everyone. We get grass fire training and the landowners get their property burned off.

[muc33]

I just found out this week that they had a prescribed burn class last weekend at the University Of Minnesota Research and Outreach Center in Lamberton. SHOOT! My guess is you could call up there for some suggestions, but as GoBlueM said, I have seen the mineral soil breaks for tree or shrub lines.

Also, getting the fire plan from the DNR can target that process for leaving one section from burning.

I helped two friends last year do burns on thier property and I cannot tell you enough how beautiful those acres were by season end. The planning seemed intense and as a result, returned a perfect project. This winter, it was clear the presence of birds using a newly "redesigned living room".

[Powerstroke]

Mineral soil is not necessary if you have room to do a back burn to create a line of "black". You would be burning the fuel in a line to make the barrier. You would create a smaller burn in a narrow strip around your protected areas or boundaries you do not want the fire to jump. Usually you would try to burn into the wind so it moves slowly and you would have people stationed to put out any flareups moving in the wrong direction. This is a great way to create a natural break without tilling up or scraping soil bare and losing habitat ground.

[muc33]

Agreed powerstroke, we used it as a fill after the burn to add to our plantings, over the mulch and repaired any tears in fabric at the time. Plus you alot of times have to wait for multiple days to do a burn break because of wind conditions. But it works best for whatever situation you think betters your ground.

Each burn is it's own creature, just like each planting or plot layout. Burns are great regeneration tools, but can cause headaches and ill repair, if not thought out and planned properly.

These are all great suggestions and these types of expierience stories, are a great learning tool and question filler.

Keep em coming.

[tealitup]

I would love to do a burn on my property - but it does not have water and would be mostly buring elder brush. Any suggestions?

[Eric Wettschreck]

Teal, contact your local fire dept. There's a good chance they will burn it off for you. Depending on who/what/where/etc you may have to cough up a donation to thier cause, but for a lot of land owners it's worth it.

[WaveWacker]

I have conducted several prescribed burns in my life. Mineral break is sweet but not always possible or available. At a minimum a mowed break (10-15') is nice. It's also nice to prep these the fall before the burn so that there isn't a lot of material laying on the break and the lack of cover will allow the break to "green up" faster in the spring. However is a break is mowed/created in the spring it is nice to rake the material out away from burn area. Why away? Because if it's raked into the burn area and more so if it is a wad of material lying on the burn line it will sit there and smolder instead of just burning and going out. This causes on to have to sit there and "babysit" a spot much longer.

As stated as well a back burn should be conducted on all burns unless your going to head fire into a large plowed field or something of that nature. Back burns consist of lighting a fire on the side of the field where the wind would be pushing the fire towards your break (or out of the burn field). If you don't have all that good of breaks, one may have to lay down a "wet line" on the edge of the break and the fire (you would do this prior to moving forward with ignition). This will assist in holding the fire line until the initial heat is burned up and allows one to get back in and extinguish the outside fire line of the back fire (I know, getting a little confusing but fire back with questions).

Once down wind side of burn area is secure then one can move around the sides and begin to head fire. The use of a drip torch to ignite is not needed but is asolutely helpful. They may be expensive (aroudn $130) but are the cat's meow for ignition. 3/4 diesel to 1/4 gas mixture and you are good to go.

Most important thing is getting your permits squared away. Check with township officials, county officials and you may have to obtain a variance from the DNR forester in your area. That's the nuts and bolts. Obviously the more water and people power you have the better things go.

Hope this helps,

WW

[muc33]

tealitup, first thing we have done on the burns I have helped with is to contact our DNR office, get the burn plan paperwork, this will only help you. You will eventually have to contact your properties local fire department and sherrifs office to get a burn permit.

Like boilerguy said, having the fire department around is good training for them... but, unless you are prepared to straight burn a property, they might not have the expierience to get around your tree plants, or a wildflower patch you want to save, or a building, on the property. So don't always count on them for a burn, unless it is a 100% coverage you want burnt.

There are also many state wide burn teams you can contact your DNR office, or a lot of times your FSA office or Soil and Water Conservation office will have contacts as well, plus there are plenty of private, or organizations that for a fee will help you set up your burn as well. Your first contact should be to your DNR office.

[BobT]

I've done a little research and what I have learned is that burning in the fall can often times be more beneficial than spring. This is especially true if you have woody shrubs and small trees that you want to control. I suspect that waiting until the trees and shrubs go dormant in fall is better because in the spring they may contain enough flowing moisture (sap) to resist the heat and survive.

Just a thought.

The downside is that you will take away some wildlife habitat for the winter but I expect the birds (pheasants) will find other suitable shelter for that winter. I plan on implementing rotational regular burnings (about every 4 to 6 years is recommended) on my place.

Bob

[tealitup]

our driveway is 2 miles long... and the nearest fire department is 25 miles..

[muc33]

PRAY FOR NO FIRE!!!! Wow, that is amazing. No rural departments within 25 miles. (I hope you don't make your kids walk to the end of the driveway to get on the bus everyday!) I would hate to write fire insurance on your property!

At any rate, contact your DNR office or if you are a PF member, they have burn teams, or there are like I said, a number of independent burn teams out there. If you need some numbers, email me, it is in my profile and I can see what I can find you.

My dad always used the line "I walked 2 miles to school uphill both ways", heck that just gets you out of the yard!!!!!!

H

[Tom7227]

I attended a burn school a few years back and it is way more complicated that it seems.

First of all you have to know what's there and what you want to get rid of and what you want to have as a result. I don't understand it in detail but for example if you burn it during X period of time you get control of cool season plants, while if you do it Y you get control over warm season plants. The humidity, the wind direction, the fuel load - all sorts of things are taken into consideration.

Any fool can burn something but it takes a pretty decent amount of skill to accomplish what is needed to reach the desired goal.

I have several very detailed manuals on how to do a prescribed burn and will share them. I don’t know how to do it other than to have people write and request them. If someone has a better way please advise. If you want them it’s weyandt(One Two Three Four - use the numers)@yahoo.com

My very strong advice is to not try a burn without consulting some folks with extensive training, and having the proper equipment and people present. You may get your field to burn, and your neighbors, and his neighbors - and worst of all not accomplish what you desire because of mistakes. PF Habitat teams can help out and get it done correctly. Go to the PF website for their contact info.

[tealitup]

 Originally Posted By: muc33

PRAY FOR NO FIRE!!!! Wow, that is amazing. No rural departments within 25 miles. (I hope you don't make your kids walk to the end of the driveway to get on the bus everyday!) I would hate to write fire insurance on your property!

At any rate, contact your DNR office or if you are a PF member, they have burn teams, or there are like I said, a number of independent burn teams out there. If you need some numbers, email me, it is in my profile and I can see what I can find you.

My dad always used the line "I walked 2 miles to school uphill both ways", heck that just gets you out of the yard!!!!!!

H

This is a hunting shack upnorth. Around the Fairbanks/Tomi area. I have emailed the St. Louis County Sheriff's department to ask them who to contact.

[muc33]

Awesome! Keep us updated as to your project! Any info you can pass on is great even if it might be the complexity of the whole project. Burning can be a great tool for a persons property for human benefits and for the critters too.

[tealitup]

Well if anyone wants to join in a burn - and have a couple brews after... more then wecome

[muc33]

What a great offer, keep me, and others posted as to a target date!

[goblueM]

I'm pretty excited, we just were informed we're doing a 325 acre burn tomorrow and Friday... busting out a couple engines and hose lays and everything. Should be sweet

[muc33]

goblueM, if you could take some pictures and post some info afterwords that would be great. good luck and be safe!

[goblueM]

sure thing Muc. and thanks! hopefully the weather geeks dont call it off...

[Tom7227]

Where's the burn? It's interesting to watch the process, especially if it's done right.

[goblueM]

alright guys, as promised - burn pics from today. in the refuge/state park next to the Renaissance Fair by Shakopee. 325 acres, we probably got 90% of that done today despite fairly high RHs and light, variable winds. Actually couldn't have gone smoother, had a couple slash piles go up like a firecracker, and one cattail patch had flames over 20 feet high for a bit. Exciting but not threatening. We had 27 guys and gals from Fish&Wildlife, DNR, and MCC out. 6 wheelers, type 6 engines, a small Marsh Master, pretty much everything but a CL-215 . Lot of fun, can't wait til the next one

parking lot before the briefing

test burn

ignition!

cattails going up

marsh master

[muc33]

Thanks for the update, glad to hear everything went well. Has that property ever been burnt before? How long has it been since it was good and healthy?

Lastly, goblueM, what are the odds that in a month and again in the fall you may be able to find the spots you have photo'd above and take update photos from the same spots?

Great work, looked like some fun vehicles too!

[goblueM]

I think they last successfully burned that piece 6 years ago, maybe 7. They tried several times in the past few years but weather didn't cooperate. The habitat was actually decent, not too much buckthorn or brome or anything. There was a lot of sumac, hopfully the smaller stuff was put down by the flames. Heard several roosters cackling in surrounding areas, so there's birds there too.

I could probably arrange some photos later this year - in the fall for sure, I was thinking about hunting out that way, or at least scouting it some.

[BLACKJACK]

 Originally Posted By: WaveWacker

I have conducted several prescribed burns in my life. Mineral break is sweet but not always possible or available. At a minimum a mowed break (10-15') is nice. It's also nice to prep these the fall before the burn so that there isn't a lot of material laying on the break and the lack of cover will allow the break to "green up" faster in the spring. However is a break is mowed/created in the spring it is nice to rake the material out away from burn area. Why away? Because if it's raked into the burn area and more so if it is a wad of material lying on the burn line it will sit there and smolder instead of just burning and going out. This causes on to have to sit there and "babysit" a spot much longer.

As stated as well a back burn should be conducted on all burns unless your going to head fire into a large plowed field or something of that nature. Back burns consist of lighting a fire on the side of the field where the wind would be pushing the fire towards your break (or out of the burn field). If you don't have all that good of breaks, one may have to lay down a "wet line" on the edge of the break and the fire (you would do this prior to moving forward with ignition). This will assist in holding the fire line until the initial heat is burned up and allows one to get back in and extinguish the outside fire line of the back fire (I know, getting a little confusing but fire back with questions).

Once down wind side of burn area is secure then one can move around the sides and begin to head fire. The use of a drip torch to ignite is not needed but is asolutely helpful. They may be expensive (aroudn $130) but are the cat's meow for ignition. 3/4 diesel to 1/4 gas mixture and you are good to go.

Most important thing is getting your permits squared away. Check with township officials, county officials and you may have to obtain a variance from the DNR forester in your area. That's the nuts and bolts. Obviously the more water and people power you have the better things go.

Hope this helps,

WW

Wavewacker has it right. Mowed strip the fall before, backburn ON A LOW WIND DAY, but you want some wind that is steady, and make sure you have your permit in hand.

I've done several burns on my CRP and they're a lot of work but as others have said they really, really help. One spot I split a field, burnt half and left the other half, by that fall the burnt half was two feet taller than the unburnt half.

As WW said, a drip torch is sweet for laying that line of fire down.

Backburn, backburn, backburn!!!! Its takes time but its the only way to really control a fire, unless you have a black plowed field on the downwind side.

Instruct your help to stay on the edges of the field, never cross the unburnt part because once you're done with the backburn and light the upwind side, its truly impressive and almost scary when you let the fire race thru five foot high switchgrass!!!!!! Flames 20-30 foot high can be expected!!! Awesome!!!

Expect to burn a few duck and pheasant nests, by the time you wait for greenup around the edges, you'll have a few nests. Just tell yourself that the longterm benefits are worth the shortterm loss.

I have three fields lined up to burn this spring, I have done the mowing last fall, they're right next to each other, once I get the first, downwind one burnt, I'll be able to burn the other two by just going up the sides and then letting her go.

I went to a burn school put on by the DNR last spring in Geneva and one of the big things I learned was the value of a water strip, you lay down a 24 inch band of water on the downwind side, that really made it easier to do the backburn, so I've been looking for a tank and finally found a 400 gallon tank that I'm going to incorporate into my burns.

Can you tell by now I'm a pyro??!

Another thing that I learned at the burn school is that if you do a fall burn, its helps your your wildflowers a little more, I haven't tried it but thats what they said.

One more thing that I've learned is that you need to burn fairly frequently, every 4-5 years, if you want to control volunteer ash and box elders, if they get too big, the fire will knock them back but doesn't kill them.

Burns are a good place to look for sheds!!! They're kind of darkened but are easy to find.

Flame on!!!!

[BLACKJACK]

Anybody can do a burn with that type of equipment!!!!! I'm used to doing it with a mowed strip, scoop shovels to beat out the flames, and a drip torch!!

Too bad its not possible to get them to do some private spots, it would really help the habitat.

[PikeBayCommanche]

Cool Pictures. We burnt our 36 acres last year and it was run. Man does that stuff burn fast.

That Marshmaster if Sweet where can i get me one of those??

[Tom7227]

You can contact a Pheasants Forever Habitat team and they will work private land.