Stone Branch

[Stone Branch]

Autumn olive in Michigan is thick. My brothers place is covered up in it.

The Michigan DNR brought the crap in and planted it on State lands, and it didn't take long to realize what a miserable mistake that was.

I made the same mistake, I bought some from Coldstream Farms and made a thicket on barren ground. Years later I had to remove it all.

There were Michigan deer experts, Tornado Jim, who wanted to argue with me what a fabulous habitat plant it is.

It was a monster on my Iowa property, the neighbor planted it to prune walnut trees.

Dr. Craig told me that 80% of his time in the field was spent combating autumn olive.

Michigan is also a great place to grow glossy buckthorn and bush honeysuckle.

I found one autumn olive here on my ky property.

G

 

[Stone Branch]

After 4-5 hours of fire prep yesterday I tested down lower and it wasn't quite ready

Up top it was ready in spots. Today I will prep another unit and light both up this afternoon.

G

 

[Stone Branch]

I started the day prepping the next unit, fire breaks. Hack and squirt does work to kill trees.

I rake out pear trees and any trees that I don't want burnt.

I had my hands full when I started my fire on the down wind corner with fire breaching my fire break on both ends and spot fires popping up over the break as well.

Once in the trees it was safer but a slow start.

A pretty good burn inside the woods

Back burns turned into front burns over the hill.

I was able to keep the fire on my side of the fence as I worked around the east end.

G

 

[Stone Branch]

Once around the corner I put some more heat out with a head fire up hill.

The other end of the fire behaved nicely, some of it, backing down to the fire break. I just had to run some strips to finish up the controll woods.

I can make some heat in a hurry with my new drip torch.

The fire was a bit spotty in the heavier wood areas.

The view from the top showed the fire to be a success

10,000 burnt tulip sprouts.

G

 

[timer]

I admire your skills/bravery. I see the value in your burns, but I'd be afraid that I'd burn the whole damn county if I set a fire like that.

 

[carnivore]

Once around the corner I put some more heat out with a head fire up hill.



The other end of the fire behaved nicely, some of it, backing down to the fire break. I just had to run some strips to finish up the controll woods.





I can make some heat in a hurry with my new drip torch.



The fire was a bit spotty in the heavier wood areas.



The view from the top showed the fire to be a success

G

How big of a break do you clear? 6ft or does it depend on conditions? Has wind ever gone from ideal to dangerous or do you only burn when wind will be under certain limits or right before a rain?

 

[1wildcatfan]

I'd burn most of Bullitt Co up if i tried that.

 

[Stone Branch]

How big of a break do you clear? 6ft or does it depend on conditions? Has wind ever gone from ideal to dangerous or do you only burn when wind will be under certain limits or right before a rain?

My fire break on this burn was 1 foot wide, I raked the outside tire track unto the inside tire track. You can never plan on a safe wind in these hills, always swirling, back burns turn to front burns and visa versa, in seconds. I like to backburn off of my fire breaks and will baby sit until the fire moves a safe distance in. I like to burn when it is just dry enough to get a good burn and not too dry that I'm starting spot fires 10 yards away. The trick usually isn't not burning the whole woods down but rather getting anything to burn at all.

G

 

[Stone Branch]

I'd burn most of Bullitt Co up if i tried that.

You don't see too many one man fire crews.

G

 

[mcbuck58]

Hey Stone Branch here’s a little trick. Use a leaf blower to make a fire break. Easier than raking a 3000 ft break around an area.

 

[Stone Branch]

Hey Stone Branch here’s a little trick. Use a leaf blower to make a fire break. Easier than raking a 3000 ft break around an area.

You have lots of fire experience. I have a backpack blower but can rake out cleaner lines if leaves are wet and matted underneath.

Yesterday I showed up trying to talk myself out burning because of wind.

Then I raked out fire breaks

and had a gentle backburn off the line working around clockwise.

As the position on the ridge changed so did the wind, I now had a head fire

so I had to hassle around to the other side and get back burned off the line

not exactly a gentle backburn. One small firebreak breach but no spot fires.

Up and over the ridge on the west end.

I had some burning snags close to the lines that I had to cut down before I was to leave.

G

 

[Stone Branch]

I killed some stuff with this burn.

Good night.

G

 

[mcbuck58]

That’s a nice clean fire break. I’ve got hilly terrain over here so I get swirling and shifting winds also. It looks like you had a good hot fire. I’m sure you killed them poplar and removed future fuels from the ground. Yea you got to get them snags down around the edges so you don’t have any candleling into unburned areas. There will be turkey’s working that area now. Keep up the good work and be careful. Have a good day. Oh love the pictures.

 

[Stone Branch]

That’s a nice clean fire break. I’ve got hilly terrain over here so I get swirling and shifting winds also. It looks like you had a good hot fire. I’m sure you killed them poplar and removed future fuels from the ground. Yea you got to get them snags down around the edges so you don’t have any candleling into unburned areas. There will be turkey’s working that area now. Keep up the good work and be careful. Have a good day. Oh love the pictures.

Thanks much mc. Ban starts tomorrow so I'm pushing one more day. I e-mailed Chief Forester yesterday and they had 13 wildfires last Thursday due to downed power lines and 5 more on Sunday. The ban really screws me up I don't want to burn bunnies, nests, and reptiles later season. They fight wildfires when conditions dictate despite having a ban. Forest warden told me last year that he believes all the fires that they put out last February were set by hunters doing their own habitat improvement. KY is just now coming around to prescribed burning, it should be made essential in their white oak initiative.

G

 

[mcbuck58]

Thanks much mc. Ban starts tomorrow so I'm pushing one more day. I e-mailed Chief Forester yesterday and they had 13 wildfires last Thursday due to downed power lines and 5 more on Sunday. The ban really screws me up I don't want to burn bunnies, nests, and reptiles later season. They fight wildfires when conditions dictate despite having a ban. Forest warden told me last year that he believes all the fires that they put out last February were set by hunters doing their own habitat improvement. KY is just now coming around to prescribed burning, it should be made essential in their white oak initiative.

G

Was surprised when I moved to KY that there were two burn ban seasons. With all the forest in KY you would think they would be using prescribed burning more. I guess some people don’t understand unsafe conditions equipment needed or fire control so they should not be setting fire. Yes it should be made essential in their white oak initiative. People out west are speaking of more prescribed burning to combat wildfires.