Control Burns of the Prairie

Control Burn a small manageable fire that a property owner does to rid the land of hazards that could turn into a wild fire.

Conditions Between 40-60 degrees F ideal Wind speeds less than 15mph Wind from North is preferred Relative Humidity between 55-70%

Benefits Fire eliminates the accumulation of dead leaves and stems of prairie plants and retards the encroachment of trees and shrubs..

Doesn’t it kill the plants? Trees and shrubs have living tissue above ground and therefore are subject to the intense heat of a fire. In contrast, most prairie plants are deep rooted perennials that go dormant in the autumn and winter and leave only dead, extremely flammable tops exposed to fire

During our control burn You will… Feel the heat, hear the crackle, smell the smoke, and witness the towering flames, as your safety permits.

During our control burn You will… Learn how the prairie evolved under the influence of natural fires and why prairie fires were used by Native Americans and now by modern ranchers

During our control burn You will… Torch the prairie grass and “drag fire” (under experienced supervision). 8

Fuel Load Refers to the amount of combustible material. ---dry herbaceous material or leaf litter (fine fuel). wind into unburned fuel. This is the fastest, hottest and most difficult to control of the types of fires 9

Spot Firing Starting several to many individual fires within a target area. 11

Creating a Black Line

Our plowed line will be the edge of the high school parking lot

Backfire Used downwind of the burn site. This is most often the coolest and safest fire. The fire is ignited on the downwind side of the fuel and slowly burns into the field against the wind, expanding the firebreak.

Fire Boss The person in charge of the burn. There is only one fire boss. This person is ultimately responsible for the burn and makes the final decisions on what actions should be taken.

Fire crew All of the personnel working in a prescribed burn

Pulling the Line

Fire Creeps Upwind-Smoke Downwind so always stay on the upwind side

Monitoring wooden structures

Mop Up upwind

Respect the Fire .