Crew Essentials

On the day of a planned prescribed burn it is essential to meet with the crew to discuss the details and objectives for the burn prior to ignition. For the Schenck Forest burn, eight people were present on the nine-acre unit. A burn boss was designated and took the leadership role. Burn bosses have extensive training and education in order to conduct the burn safely and effectively. The crew size employed must be large enough to monitor and control the unit depending on its size. A burn boss is responsible for designating specific roles of each individual and leads effective communication among all crew members during the entirety of the burn event.

Factors to Consider Prior to Burning

When preparing for a burn, factors need to be considered such as type of soil, slope, and fuel type. Within the Schenck Forest, mineral soil can be found. This differs from organic soil in the fires ability to move through quicker. Organic soils burn longer and deeper than that of mineral soil, and duration of fire needs to be considered in order to minimize negative impacts.

Also be aware of the fuels present at the site. At the Schenck Forest, litter was comprised of pine needles and hardwood leaves, which allowed for the fire to move rapidly through the site’s ground layer. A backing fire was applied because of its ability to consume more of the ground fuels than other fire types. These fires move against the wind and are much slower, which allows extra time to feed on existing fuels.

Slope is also an important factor to consider. The degree of slope can affect how the fire behaves. Small slopes, like the one at Schenck Forest, don’t play a critical role in affecting fire behavior. Higher slopes, however, can increase the speed in which the fire moves. When burning uphill this fact needs to be considered since it has the ability to change fire behavior.

To learn how to account for slope when conducting prescribed burns, please read page 39 in the Introduction to Prescribed Fire in Southern Ecosystems,

http://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/pubs/su/su_srs054.pdf

Meeting the Objectives for the Schenck Forest Burn

Four months prior to this recording, a prescribed burn was conducted in a nine-acre plot within the Schenck Forest. The composition of the unit is predominantly comprised of seven-year-old loblolly pines and hardwoods. The main objective of the burn was to reduce hazards. In the 15 years since the last burn, a three-inch litter layer had accumulated. Hazard reduction was essential to minimize wildfire risk. Now that fire has been applied and the litter layer reduced by as much as 60%, the forest unit poses less of a hazard. Future efforts hope to maintain a biennial fire regime to control for fuel accumulation.

The burn was conducted during the dormant season. Since the duff layer was thick, reduction in the ground fuel layer was necessary. By burning in the dormant season, minimal risk was achieved to the existing trees. Higher temperatures can increase mortality, so ensuring minimal temperatures is best to promote survival.

Site conditions and weather were examined the day of the burn. These need to be monitored in order to ensure operation under the outlined burn prescription. Temperature, humidity, wind speed, and other weather elements were all monitored. If the site conditions are not within the prescription of the burn plan, the burn must be conducted another time when it meets all of the specified parameters.

Upon Fire Completion

When a fire is completed, mopup or after-fire monitoring should be conducted. Special attention should be paid to stumps or smoldering snags. These fuel types can burn long after the fire in the unit has concluded. When conducting mopup activities, snag fires should be extinguished with mineral soil or water before leaving the unit. Stumps and snags can also pose safety concerns for crew members, so always be aware of where you are walking in the forest to minimize trip hazards. Even though these snags and stumps need extra monitoring, they are essential in their role of providing refuge for hibernaculum or ground-dwelling wildlife.

Assessing Fire Effects

Aside from the scorch on the trees and hardwood resprouts, you may not be able to tell that a burn came through this forest unit four months ago. Looking at the ground layer it is hard to tell due to the presence of grasses, legumes, and other forbs. This vegetation is important to game species like turkey, quail, and deer. Other wildlife species benefit from this regrowth and will come into a recently burned unit for nutrition.

Outcomes of the Schenck Forest Burn

The Schenck Forest burn is classified as a successful burn because the management objectives set forth were achieved. The burners were able to reduce the fuel and duff layer to less than three inches with a dormant season burn. Hardwoods were also top killed, and with a more frequent burn regime hardwoods will be minimized in the future. The fuel layer was significantly reduced and minimized wildfire risk.

The crew was comprised of nine individuals. Two were designated igniters and applied fire to the ground using drip torches . The other crew members served monitoring roles and controlled the perimeter looking for spot fires igniting over the holding line and assessing snag concerns. Snags are dead trees that can be susceptible to fire and can smolder long after the fire has moved through. During mopup, or after fire completion, these snags are monitored to ensure they are not at risk of igniting again.

This is considered a successful burn with no escapes, spot fires, or safety issues. All of the burn parameters were within the specifications of the burn plan. This successful completion can be attributed to the pre-burn safety meeting and following the burn plan guidelines. All steps and procedures were outlined prior to the burn to ensure all crew members were aware of the burn situation. Radios allowed all crew members to communicate effectively during the entirety of the burn, ensuring objectives were achieved safely and effectively.

To learn how crew members use drip torches to apply fire, read the Southern Fire Excahange fact sheet,

http://www.southernfireexchange.org/SFE_Publications/factsheets/2013_3.pdf

Examining Scorch Height at the Schenck Forest

Scorch height is an important parameter to outline in a burn plan. In the unit observed, there is a 55-foot distance between the ground and the live canopy of the loblolly pines. A scorch height no greater than 12 feet was set in order to make sure the timber was not adversely affected in the planned burn. You can identify the scorch height by examining the dark black char that can be seen on the tree bark. The height of the scorch can be indicative of the kind of fire that was burning around the tree. Lower scorch heights, like the one shown in the video, are characteristic of low intensity backing fires. These slow moving fires pose the least risk to the timber value within stands because temperatures and intensity are minimized.