Smoke in the woods
Prescribed fires improve wildlife habitat when they’re done safely and correctly.
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Photo by P.J. Perea
Test fire
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As days lengthen and turkeys begin gobbling, it’s time to burn.
Prescribed burning improves deer, quail and wild turkey habitat by opening up dense forests and reducing tangles of brush that make poor wildlife habitat. Burning also enhances forbs and brooding areas, where poults find plenty of protein-rich insects. And the plants that grow during successive years after the burn are perfect for nesting.
In short, prescribed fire is a tool to manage the habitats of many wildlife species. It is a natural part of the ecosystem. Without fire, there would be far fewer animals in the forest.
In the South, the most economical and efficient way to create and manage quality diverse habitat is by burning. Here are the basics for conducting a prescribed burn:
Before the burn
If you have never burned, do not attempt it without an experienced crew. State forestry agencies offer training classes and certification in forest burning.
These classes teach techniques, tools, regulations and permitting, but little hands-on experience. The best way to gain experience is to hire a trained contractor or state forestry agency personnel and work alongside the experts. Prescribed burning can be extremely dangerous in the hands of the inexperienced.
Preparation
Preparing the property and yourself for a burn is more than half the job. Ensure a safe fire by having a burn plan that answers these questions: When is the burn scheduled? What wind is best for the property? Where is downwind? Are there schools, highways, towns or homes that could be impacted by the burn? Are all the lines clear of downed limbs and trees? Have the lines recently been plowed? Is the proposed burn area secure so the fire will not escape? Do you know the phone numbers for local emergency responders and the response time to the property?
File your burn plan with local authorities and stick to it.
Fitness
Get in shape or stay off the line. The USDA Forest Service and all state forestry agencies require an annual stress test for all employees on the fire line. A day on a prescribed burn can be long and grueling, and once a fire is lit, you are there until the burn is completed. Have plenty of food and water on hand and a cell phone in case of an emergency.
Tools
You might feel confident burning in jeans and a T-shirt, but don’t do it. Most professionals wear yellow long-sleeve Nomex shirts and green Nomex pants. Nomex is fire-resistant, and the yellow shirt makes you more visible. Always wear leather boots; hot, burning ground will melt rubber and lend new meaning to the term “hot foot.” A hardhat and leather gloves also are required for safety.
The basic tools for burning include a drip torch, fire rake, fire flap and backpack sprayer. Most experienced prescribed fire managers also have a chainsaw, a water tank mounted on a four-wheeler, and a tractor with a disc. Keep a bulldozer and fire plow on standby for larger fires.
A drip torch allows you to easily and safely place the fire in the right spot. The torch contains a mixture of 60 percent diesel fuel and 40 percent gas that ignites as the torch is poured. If there is too much diesel, the fire does not stay lit. If there is too much gas, it can cause dangerous flare-ups.
Weather conditions
Most prescribed burns occur in the winter, spring and early summer, when predictable weather patterns and moderate temperatures occur. Hot weather increases the risk of scorching or killing standing timber. The humidity must be lower than 60 percent to get a good burn. As the day warms up and the humidity drops below 50 percent, fire intensity increases. If the humidity drops to 10 or 20 percent, a fire becomes dangerous and hard to control.
While local conditions and terrain vary considerably across the Southeast, in general it’s best to burn two to four days following a cold front, when the wind blows out of the north, northwest or northeast. The steady wind that follows is favorable for smoke to rise rather than hug the ground.
A light to moderate steady wind moves the fire in a predictable manner, so you know what to expect as it drifts across the landscape. Variable winds should be avoided. Do not rush or try to burn in unfavorable conditions. Cancel and reschedule.
Permits
Every state forestry agency requires burn permits. Learn and abide by your state’s regulations. When the state forestry agency refuses to issue a burn permit, there is a good reason.
Each state forestry agency also maintains a fire weather service, so burn bosses know what the smoke will do.
All fired up!
For more information on prescribed fire, contact your state forestry agency or the USDA Forest Service. — James Earl Kennamer, Ph.D., NWTF chief conservation officer