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["SISU!" <erthnsky AT bellsouth.net>]

Gloria Morris wrote:

> Once, I helped friends fight an UNINTENTIONAL forest fire, and that 
> was scary. They did not know about the fire until it had gotten a 
> very good start. Once discovered, the neighbors turned out in force 
> to help fight it. So, unlike the controlled burns, this fire was 
> unexpected and was way ahead of us at the start. Thankfully we got 
> ahead of it and managed to put it out.

That does sound scary.  In fact, that's about my worst nightmare, which
is why I want to do a controlled burn now.


 If I were ever to start a controlled burn
> in the woods intentionally (and after that experience I doubt I'll 
> ever be so brave), I would want to clear an area of all brush and 
> leaves ahead of time, to create a fire break to burn towards. Don't 
> know if the pros do this, but I'd sure want to - it is hard work, 
> trying to do it ahead of an out-of-control fire! Certainly, after the
>  uncontrolled burn, the woods were free of choking underbrush, and 
> the accumulation of leaves was gone - the woods were clean and open, 
> and only one large tree was lost, as we could not get the fire under 
> it under control in time to save it. Hope if you do it that you give 
> us a full report on how it goes and what techniques they use.

Yes, that's the goal, to burn up all the deadfall and underbrush to take
away fuel for a wildfire.  Any large tract of woodland will need burning
off every so often anyway, and lightning usually does it for us naturally.
This area was hit hard during the blizzard of 1993, during Hurricane
Opal in 1995, a nasty ice storm in 1999, and most recently an F1 tornado
in 2002.  There is a LOT of debris in the woods, mostly pines and many
of them are 2-3 feet in diameter.  Due to the steepness of the ridge and
the ravine that would suck up wind like an intake vent, I feel that all
this dead wood is an accident waiting to happen.  If the forest service
will come out and keep it under control, creating firebreaks, etc.(the
wooded ravine is a natural break on one side and my pasture on the
other, but north to south is just woods for miles).  I recently got a
Google Earth shot of the valley.  It's pretty impressive to see just how
remote our property is, considering we are in a populous state..not like
South Dakota or Wyoming or something. ;) (I can email the jpg if anyone
is that interested) I'm thinking of calling the neighbors/landowners to
the north and south of me and seeing if they want their woods burned,
too. :)
I'll post if something develops.

Bev


--
BevanRon of EarthNSky Farm   NW Georgia USDA Zone 7
34.498N 85.076W    Bev is Earth, Ron is Sky