Prescribed burns spring 2025

[DPinTN]

@BSK - I'm by far an expert but I've burned a few acres and found in hilly terrain if you're willing to take your time it's not that bad. Basically you'll need to get a good backing fire up top to establish black line then run strip head fires every 20-30 yards and work your way down the slope. This way nothing gets too out of control. Also as mentioned a back pack blower does really well setting lines. IMHO the issues happen when folks want to light it once at the base of a ridge and let it eat.

On my ridges I find that the topography generally wins over wind direction unless winds get above 15mph.

 

[MickThompson]

@BSK - I'm by far an expert but I've burned a few acres and found in hilly terrain if you're willing to take your time it's not that bad. Basically you'll need to get a good backing fire up top to establish black line then run strip head fires every 20-30 yards and work your way down the slope. This way nothing gets too out of control. Also as mentioned a back pack blower does really well setting lines. IMHO the issues happen when folks want to light it once at the base of a ridge and let it eat.

On my ridges I find that the topography generally wins over wind direction unless winds get above 15mph.

This last line for sure- if you understand thermals you'll have a leg up understanding fire behavior

 

[Boll Weevil]

This last line for sure- if you understand thermals you'll have a leg up understanding fire behavior

100% True.

Fire can seemingly run backwards in hilly ground till you figure this out. Thermals and eddies too. Part of the reason why the little test fire is critical when you start…if it don't act right take note.

Fire can have a mind of its own but thermals and eddies are often the "voice" speaking to the fire's mind (glad my place is pretty flat in these regards).

It can absolutely turn on you in a heartbeat. A time or 3 we've gone from basically babysitting w/heels kicked up checking texts from work and NCAA tournament scores to get water over here NOW. Never got out but you definitely gotta keep your head on a swivel and driving your breaks during and after your burns. Chainsaws ready to start with one yank and water.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

100% True.

Fire can seemingly run backwards in hilly ground till you figure this out. Thermals and eddies too. Part of the reason why the little test fire is critical when you start…if it don't act right take note.

Fire can have a mind of its own but thermals and eddies are often the "voice" speaking to the fire's mind (glad my place is pretty flat in these regards).

It can absolutely turn on you in a heartbeat. A time or 3 we've gone from basically babysitting w/heels kicked up checking texts from work and NCAA tournament scores to get water over here NOW. Never got out but you definitely gotta keep your head on a swivel and driving your breaks during and after your burns. Chainsaws ready to start with one yank and water.

Absolutely!

 

[JCDEERMAN]

@BSK - I'm by far an expert but I've burned a few acres and found in hilly terrain if you're willing to take your time it's not that bad. Basically you'll need to get a good backing fire up top to establish black line then run strip head fires every 20-30 yards and work your way down the slope. This way nothing gets too out of control. Also as mentioned a back pack blower does really well setting lines. IMHO the issues happen when folks want to light it once at the base of a ridge and let it eat.

On my ridges I find that the topography generally wins over wind direction unless winds get above 15mph.

Spot on. Terrain is king with thermals, and stripping definitely helps. Saturday was a no-go. Over about 12 is my limit, and we had a max gust on that day of 29.8. A 12 mph wind is WINDY! More than most realize. On my kestrel and wind meter on our weather station, winds were very high, even though our meter gauged them at less that 6mph. Especially ON a 6-10' fire break and embers are flowing everywhere. And I hate the little "tornados" that flare up. I like slow days for sure!

 

[MickThompson]

Spot on. Terrain is king with thermals, and stripping definitely helps. Saturday was a no-go. Over about 12 is my limit, and we had a max gust on that day of 29.8. A 12 mph wind is WINDY! More than most realize. On my kestrel and wind meter on our weather station, winds were very high, even though our meter gauged them at less that 6mph. Especially ON a 6-10' fire break and embers are flowing everywhere. And I hate the little "tornados" that flare up. I like slow days for sure!

A half lit oak leaf can ruin your day and night in a hurry under those conditions

 

[JCDEERMAN]

A half lit oak leaf can ruin your day and night in a hurry under those conditions

No joke!

 

[BSK]

We would definitely be burning down the hill, not up the hill. I've seen what happens when fires lit at the base of a hill create their own upslope wind and turn into a raging inferno.

The biggest problem with strip-lighting down the hill is access. Currently, we cannot enter the burn area. It is 100% 8 to 10-foot blackberries. A person cannot force their way through (without wearing a suit of armor). The second problem is creating firebreaks. That's going to take a lot of bulldozer work. Not that it can't be done, just expensive work.

 

[mcbuck58]

We would definitely be burning down the hill, not up the hill. I've seen what happens when fires lit at the base of a hill create their own upslope wind and turn into a raging inferno.

The biggest problem with strip-lighting down the hill is access. Currently, we cannot enter the burn area. It is 100% 8 to 10-foot blackberries. A person cannot force their way through (without wearing a suit of armor). The second problem is creating firebreaks. That's going to take a lot of bulldozer work. Not that it can't be done, just expensive

Been burning for 30 years. Was trained to be a burn boss for the State of Indiana. Burned hills like that and I have hills like that on my farm in Kentucky. Make your fire breaks which could be just through the timber. If you bulldoze or disk one in you'll be set up for future. Wait for the correct conditions and just run a back burn down the hill. Slow cool fire. That will get all the black berries and maybe some small trees. That will also prevent a build up of fuels. You could go in manually and get the larger, small trees that fire didn't get. If you plan on keeping it open you will need fire in the future. Worth the price of bulldozed wide fire breaks that you mow once a year or disk.

 

[Boll Weevil]

Worth the price of bulldozed wide fire breaks that you mow once a year or disk.

In the process of converting my breaks and draglines to permanent green and plan to do just as you suggest.

 

[mcbuck58]

In the process of converting my breaks and draglines to permanent green and plan to do just as you suggest.

Makes it way easier for the future. I've saved all my logging roads (fire lanes) and mow once a year. Also made a bunch of new roads (fire lanes) just by cutting stumps flush with ground and tordon the stumps. Can burn small areas or combine a couple areas.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

Makes it way easier for the future. I've saved all my logging roads (fire lanes) and mow once a year. Also made a bunch of new roads (fire lanes) just by cutting stumps flush with ground and tordon the stumps. Can burn small areas or combine a couple areas.

Once we burn some more of our smaller (5-15) acre areas to remove fuel, we plan to combine some of them into bigger burns. Some have been logged, but never burned. We have 3 more to hopefully do soon, and in about 3 years get a big one going. While in the meantime killing undesirable trees for more sunlight.

 

[BSK]

Been burning for 30 years. Was trained to be a burn boss for the State of Indiana. Burned hills like that and I have hills like that on my farm in Kentucky. Make your fire breaks which could be just through the timber. If you bulldoze or disk one in you'll be set up for future. Wait for the correct conditions and just run a back burn down the hill. Slow cool fire. That will get all the black berries and maybe some small trees. That will also prevent a build up of fuels. You could go in manually and get the larger, small trees that fire didn't get. If you plan on keeping it open you will need fire in the future. Worth the price of bulldozed wide fire breaks that you mow once a year or disk.

I think a bulldozer would have no problem at the top of the hills. Just run along the edge of the timber cuts. It's the valleys and edges up the hill that will be a problem. Valleys are "V-shaped" right to the rocky creeks, and hills are so steep both bulldozers and log skidders have flipped over backwards trying to go up them. Plus maintaining those firebreaks is going to be a problem, both erosional and simply keeping them open dirt. Can't run a tractor/bushhog up/down them. I can't even ride my ATV up them without flipping over backwards.

But I agree, to keep these areas open, fire will be needed every 3 years. Heck, these 8 to 10-foot walls of blackberries grew in only 4 growing seasons.

 

[mcbuck58]

Once we burn some more of our smaller (5-15) acre areas to remove fuel, we plan to combine some of them into bigger burns. Some have been logged, but never burned. We have 3 more to hopefully do soon, and in about 3 years get a big one going. While in the meantime killing undesirable trees for more sunlight.

Sounds like a plan

 

[mcbuck58]

I think a bulldozer would have no problem at the top of the hills. Just run along the edge of the timber cuts. It's the valleys and edges up the hill that will be a problem. Valleys are "V-shaped" right to the rocky creeks, and hills are so steep both bulldozers and log skidders have flipped over backwards trying to go up them. Plus maintaining those firebreaks is going to be a problem, both erosional and simply keeping them open dirt. Can't run a tractor/bushhog up/down them. I can't even ride my ATV up them without flipping over backwards.

But I agree, to keep these areas open, fire will be needed every 3 years. Heck, these 8 to 10-foot walls of blackberries grew in only 4 growing seasons.

I've got some steep like that. A couple are only take tractor and bush hog down hill in 1st or 2nd once a year for trees. Like August or September when its really dry. Walk it with leaf blower for burn. Most others are angled up the hill with dozer. Rocky creek would break a back burn. Sounds like a tough situation. Might be better to abandon that area let it go wild and do TSI on foot. Thought you were trying to make some more open areas. That might not be a good spot.

 

[Boll Weevil]

What about mulching your breaks in the briars down to the dirt BSK? Is that an option?

 

[@fulldraw]

hills are so steep both bulldozers and log skidders have flipped over backwards trying to go up them.

That's the problem. Dozers shouldn't try to go up those steep slopes unless they can back up them. Get the dozers up there on roads and have the dozers go off the slopes. Helps when there is a plow on the back for balance and anchor into the ground.