Is anyone planning a burn?

[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.

[BLACKJACK]

 Originally Posted By: Tom7227

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

For a pretty steep price, it would cost me thousands to have them do my burns.

[kobear]

If it's CRP you can try for Mid-Contract Management dollars. Right now they are authorizing up to $40 an acre as cost share for a hired out burn. That would work out as you get approval for management and cost share from NRCS and FSA, hire out the work and pay $80 an acre for someone to burn, submit the bills and get 50% back ($40). If you hired someone and spent $100 an acre you would still only get $40 as that's the max rate. If you spent $60 you would get $30 back. Landowners can burn privately and get reimbursed upto $30 an acre, again get your ducks in a row with NRCS and FSA and GET ALL THE REQUIRED PERMITS!

No gaurantees with FSA and cost share there can be lot's of hoops there, especially with no approved farm bill, it expires tomorrow, again.

[muc33]

Great info kobear, thanks for posting that!

[lawdog]

What is the acceptable time frames for spring burns in our area MUC33? I've not got my ducks in any sort of a row yet...

[BLACKJACK]

Lets do some more math, if it costs me $80 an acre to get someone to burn my CRP, and I get cost share of $40 an acre, that means it cost me $40 an acre times 80 acres, thats $3200 to burn that CRP. The wife will be impressed with that idea!

How many of you have $3200 laying around - to toss into a fire?

And then to realize that you need to do a burn again in 4-6 years.

What I'm getting at is that it would be nice to get some help from the DNR or PF on these burns, its cost prohibitive for individuals to do it and they have the equipment. We all know a fire is great for CRP but talk is cheap, its harder to get it done that you think.

[muc33]

Lawdog, you still have time, I have seen burns go to mid May. But call your soil and water conservation office they will give you better tmeline.

[goblueM]

with all the rain we got, then the warm temps, everything is greening up around the cities really quickly. I don't know about other areas of the state, but I know St. Paul Parks thinks they're pretty much done burning since it greened up so quick. Real crappy year for it