It’s been a great week for burning. We managed to complete almost 700 acres in 3 days. These sites ranged from 7 year old longleaf to 25+ year old loblolly stands that needed a good mid-story cleaning. I saw lots of smoke in the air from others as well. It’s nice to see smoke as a regular occurrence. I think burning is picking up as more people actively managed their timberlands.

I love it!

How’s Sundays weather looking to the pros? I’m thinking about lighting up about 7 acres of long leaf and 10 of hardwood

Light her up. Just watch the wind.

Looks good Matt. I've burned about 25 acres this week, and hope to have another 20 or so ready for Sat. if the rain didn't get it to wet.

Calling for light and variable so it should burn slow.

Will last nights rain have things to wet?

Not for Sunday. Heck I may burn tomorrow.

I'm going to check on burning Sat. also. Got a hayfield, another area of pines, and a sagefield and hard wood area. I think the hayfield will burn easier, but want to burn the other two places soon also.

Nice!.....

I plan to try some on Saturday. We’ll see if we had too much rain last night. A lot of sun and breeze today.

If cogon grass is present, does it affect your burn program?

Burned right at 800 acres this week. About half longleaf and half loblolly. Best burns we've had in years. Got alot to do this next week.bi saw a map of all the burn permits issued Wednesday and it covered the state pretty good.

Where can a person look at the burn map?

Yes. Cogon must be dealt with immediately and often until it’s gone.

Pretty sure you south AL folks are under red flag conditions today.

The wind is WHOOPIN down here......

I wouldn’t light a match to save my life today.

Tomorrow went from light and variable to 10-15.

I’ve been sitting on g waiting on o all day. This wind has me scared to lite it up. I may try a small 5 acre spot right at dark if the wind lays some.

The wind convinced me quickly that I didn’t want to burn today.

Man I wish my place looked like that. I have a 40 acre clear cut I need burned for replant and need a NE or E wind to keep the smoke off roads.

Big fire in Baldwin Co around the Perdido WMA got out of hand this afternoon. Has got some roads shut down. No one should have been burning with the low humidity and winds we had today.

I burned 20 acres of mixed pine/hardwood Friday afternoon and got a great burn. I had some old dead pines that that threw off some sparks this afternoon and jumped my fire lane. It took me a couple of hours in this wind to get it under control.

I waited until after 3 pm to light up a two year old stand of longleaf. It’s still burning now but just about to tie in together. It was only 17 acres and I spent the first hour and a half putting out spot fires. 😂

I took it slow and easy until I had no choice but to call in reinforcements. I had all three of my kids out there and that wasn’t enough. Called in a buddy who saved the day. I knew what I was getting in to and it still exceeded my expectations. 😂

I watched a neighbor one year burning off part of quail plantation under red flag conditions about like we had today…..It made my butt pucker just watching it.

No way I was setting anything on fire today.

I want to burn today but humidity dropping into the 20s has me anxious.

Forest services ain’t skeerd. They just lit one off next to me in Bankhead

Wait until this afternoon......

We are. Just burned about 6 acres and the head fire was a bad idea. Should have kept it backing especially once it hit the hardwood

Run strip head fires where you just move out in front of the backing fire 30, 40, 50 yards and light a line……The more space you give it between the head fire and your backing fire….the more “momentum” its going build up…….You can also just light spot fires or flanking fires out ahead of your backing fire to keep the intensity down

I wonder have much got turned black the last few days and deemed a “good burn”, but only burnt the top duff layer?

Head fires today are a no go unless it’s your objective. Short spot or flanking fires will be better.

Only have one torch so I don’t guess I can do flanking. What is a short spot fire?

It’s where you move out in front of the backing fire and just drop a spot of fire…….move over a little ways and drop another spot…..instead of making a solid line. A flanking fire is a line that’s basically run at a 90 degree angle to the backing

I could do that but this next burn will be up hill so it’s gonna run like hell. Not sure what to do.

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I'm assuming that red 7 the wind speed and direction?? Is the top of the ridge on the north side or south side?

South

Kinda hard to say for sure without seeing all the variables involved…..steepness of the slope, fuel load, etc…… You could always do it another day with a north wind that allowed you to just back it down the hill if you’re worried about the intensity……

The 23% humidity is the only thing holding me back.

You could wait until dark when the humidity level comes up and any wind dies down……If you light it up at the base of the ridge and wind switches on you its gonna roar up the hill……Pretty sure you're gonna want to light it at the top

The wind is swirling bad so it damn sure doesn’t help.

Burned another 30 with the neighbor today. It went very well.

If I had lit mine it would have been fine I believe. Certain conditions make me nervous though.

I wish more timber companies would get back to burning. We have a 400 acres section that was thinned last yr. If a fire ran through it now it would be awesome for the next 2-3 yrs.

Does the state offer any tax breaks to timber companies for burning?

Saturday I called in an 5 acre old field burn for a permit. Ended up with just over 8.25 acres with some understory added to it unplanned. I started at 8am backing across the field and I almost had the 5 blacked in completely when a wind swirl threw one ember over the break in some grass. Inhaled more smoke fighting the 3.25 acre burn than the Marlboro man. Learned some stuff Saturday but got some stuff knocked back too. Always remember that fire ain't satisfied as long as there's fuel. Need to finish the remaining part of the understory burn as soon as the weather permits but I'll watch the wind more for sure. Also, a ground blind might as well be a tire, when she lit, it went...

I need to burn, 60 acres

Mbrock, I see you let the fire run through the hardwoods. Any kill from letting that happen? Foresters around here frown upon it, but I think the property I hunt could really benefit from it

I burn hardwoods all the time. Only upland sites, with good soil moisture, mostly backing or flanking techniques. It doesn’t damage them if done properly and on less of a frequency than most pine stands. A lot of foresters here are terrified of fire period regardless of what you’re burning. You’ll damage maples, gums, poplars etc, but upland oaks are very adapted to low/moderate intensity fire.

I’ve been traveling through South and East Ga and there is a burn every 5 miles. You can look to the sky and see smoke every direction. The air is filled with smoke like it’s one big forest fire.

Yep. I love it. Make smoke great again. 😂

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WTG Matt!
Great time of year! We knocked out 1,200 acres in the last 10 days. Got a little hairy Saturday with several jumps needed to be put out as well as Monday. I think I had 10 jumps and we had 2 on the neighbor. Thankfully he was burning that day and didn't want us to put it out. Burning in 20+ MPH winds is risky and Saturday had low humidity to go with it. We had to go slow but still got about 300 acres done. Been from 2 year old longleaf to 7 year old longleaf. From nice quail woods to longleaf restoration areas. From thick young loblolly to hardwoods. From Shelby county to Dallas county! Great week despite a little jumpy!!

Yessir!!!! It’s been a great week. I had several jumps Friday and Monday, but nothing we couldn’t handle. Got to knock it out while we can! Still got a LOT to go though!!

These type threads are some of my favorite ALDEER content.
I burned all weekend myself.
Wish I knew how to post pictures.

March and April - our most productive months! Looking forward to it!

I need this wind to stop.

Do you think more private land owners are starting to burn on their own? I see a lot more smoke on the weekend which makes me think these are people who work during the week and do the land management on the weekend. Does the Forestry Commission post the # of permits issued each year?

I think it’s becoming more common. I try to encourage small landowners to become certified and get a few burns under their belt before striking out alone, but I do have seen an increase in interest. The AFC keeps up with issues permits and acres burned annually.

I wish it was true

Dang gobbler. Thanks for correcting me. I think it’s increasing in our area because I see it more than I ever have.

I burned this past Sunday. Was going to burn about 12 acres, but the wind picked up and the fire jumped a wet area so I ended up burning about 60. Got a little hairy for a while but got it under control.

Haven’t been able to burn yet, when is too late to be considered dormant burn? I will try to burn by end of March

Closing in on the dormant season, especially south of I20.

I do more growing season burns for wildlife than dormant.

Pretty straightforward for every zone, no date. When there a a few leaves busted out on the gums, etc, it is now a growing season burn. Like Matt says, we do more growing season than dormant season burns. March and April are our biggest months.

I was always told not to burn ll after candling which is about to happen. I would definitely be interested in a growing season burn in that section what do I need to know?

Sent a headfire through parts of a very low basal area stand of oaks about two weeks ago. First burn on this stand and it had gotten thick with about 3ft tall pine saplings. It was crown jumping in the little pine seedlings and absolutely roaring.

The oaks use enough moisture that there is never really any fuel with a couple yards of the trunk. Fire didn't even burn to a majority of the oaks and the bark didn't even start to blacken on those it did reach because it was so mild around the trunks. I think I killed 1 crappy red oak in about 7 acres burned and even then it may have survived.

I remember seeing a group of hardwoods in a well managed pine plantation one time. There were 10ft+ fire marks on the loblolly from the regular burns. The large post oak and white oak mixed in the stand appeared to have never even been exposed to fire. The poplar right next to them was all but dead from fire damage.

Yeah you can definitely damage/kill your hardwoods with fire, but they can withstand a lot more than many people realize.

Only in very rare cases can you send a fire like that through hardwoods and not hurt them. I knew this fire wouldn't get close to the oaks as it was a savanna and there was no fuel near the oaks themselves.

I have burned plenty after candling both small and larger. The risk of mortality goes up each day after candling starts and increases with ambient temps. If they are less than 4' tall and I wanted no mortality I would burn before the first candles start to extend. I haven't seen candles extending yet - it is soon though.

Mine are 15-20’ tall.

The small section we just burned.
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Got another few acres burned yesterday afternoon after work. I just can't get enough dry days to get the leaves dries in a mostly hardwood area to burn. How last is too late to burn in hardwoods? I don't want to kill everything, just burn the under brush and leaves.

I’ve burned them in early May. You should be fine with spring soil moisture and humidity levels. I just wouldn’t burn on a day the humidity drops significantly.

Matt and others, about what is the going rate per acre on burns now?

Man that varies so dang much. I’ve heard of rates between $18 up to over $40 an acre. I fall above the below and below the upper. 👍

I used to do a flat rate when I started but have recently started pricing by the job. Reason being, necessary equipment and burn complexity is different for each tract. Up here in these hills of North AL it can become a challenge. Due to having to hire more labor for some burns I have just chosen to evaluate each burn individually in order to price it.

Seems like I remember cold, dormant days as being the most ideal to burn hardwoods.

Hey Matt, do y’all handle the burn permits if I hire you?
Or whoever? Don’t mean to step on any toes. I know several of y’all burn.
Thanks

Yeah I cover it all. Certified, insured, and obtain the permit with a burn plan.

I think I could have lit my remaining pines this afternoon. Kind of wish I had

This week is going to be phenomenal!!

Unfortunately I have to work and need to work this weekend but damn rain Friday and Saturday. 😒

My daughter and I burned about 40 acres today. Thoroughly enjoyed it

Gonna burn 120 Acres of 20 & 25 year old plantations tomorrow.
Supposed to excellent conditions.

Burned some a few weeks ago. Going to try to burn another small tract tomorrow. First fire on this one and it desperately needs it.

Hoping to burn 15-20 acres this afternoon. Just not sure the leaves will burn yet fron the last rain, but the sage field will.

Got 35 acres of young Longleaf and 11 acres of big thinned lobs done today. Back at it tomorrow. Hopefully we got some of the volunteer lobs out of this LL stand. The juvenile cottonmouth is just there for kicks.

Mbrock, how old does a stand of loblolly need to be before you can safely run fire through it? Enjoy the pics by the way.

BAR, I’ve run fire on 7 year loblolly, but I didn’t like it. Had very minimal mortality on the majority of the stand, but it got hairy in areas with ladder fuels. It depends on the fuel load and tree spacing. I usually don’t burn lobs until the second year after their first thin.

Mine didn't burn very good, guess to much moisture still on the ground. This is in low areas near river. Sage grass field didn't even burn good. I'll try again on the rest of that area and another maybe Thursday before the rain.

Thank you!

I guess I suck at burning hardwoods. I tried burning some more yesterday, and couldn't get it to burn very well. The leaves were crunchy and dry, but just wouldn't stay burning. If you professionals can help with how to burn hardwoods, I'd appreciate it. I got about 50-60 acres I would love to run a fire through.

Need to have lower humidity to burn hardwood litter. Also, depending on how open the canopy is, it could take much longer for the fuel to dry out. I.e. you need a longer period of no rain to allow everything underneath that top layer of leaves to dry out.

Some of the professionals in here may have some additional advice but that’s about all I know to tell you without pictures/first hand knowledge of what you’re trying to burn.

I’ve successfully burned a good bit of HW this week, but I had to wait until the sun dried out the leaves at mid day before starting. They won’t even think about igniting before 10:30 am.
It burned all the way down the bottom to the water in most places.

Matt and I may differ on this one a little (I know, unusual!). We try to get a fire in lob at about 7-8 years old and defiantly try to burn it before thinning. It makes a thinning a lot easier and better looking if it has been burned first.

Last 2 days, fire was going through hardwood all the way to water - I like it!!

Yeah I’ve burned them at 7-9 years of age, but typically I do not. Reason being up here is topography. We have so many hills and valleys. I actually burned some Wednesday that were 5. It was a small tract, humidity was 55-60% and we were able to back through it. We tried small strip heads and ended up with a couple really hot places. 😳😂

I also burned some hardwoods earlier this week. Burned all the way to creeks and even jumped one ditch with a little water running through it. If anything, it burned a lot better in some places than I was comfortable with.

How early do y’all introduce fire to long leaf stands?

Start burning Longleaf when it’s 2 years old (when it doesn’t have candles)
It’s best to burn it twice in the first 5 years, anything after that just depends on your objectives.

2 if possible, 3 normally.

What they said. I like to roll one through at 2-3 years old. I’ve burned a pretty good bit of it this year from 2 years old to 7 years old. Here’s pics of some of the 2 year old stands. I even had some that were 1 year old that were planted in a bare spot when the first planting failed. They got burned with the 2 year old trees and they are fine.

Good deal, thank y’all for the info. I’m assuming you don’t want a really hot fire when they’re that young? Are y’all just letting a backing fire ease through them?

That depends. When soil moisture is as high as it is now, on a day with humidity in the 45-55 percent range I’d almost prefer a series of quick strip heads. Backing fires are ok but if they linger on young longleaf for several minutes they can be just as damaging as a raging head fire.

Gotcha, so basically just need to do what is necessary to avoid damaging them whether it’s backing fire or strip fire depending on conditions.

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A few from this week

We let her rip today. But now tomorrow and Thursday we are really turning it loose!🥵

Smoke was thicc in hartselle yesterday from what musta been a good burn in bankhead.

Any of y’all burning around Autauga, Dallas and Chilton counties need some help let me know, never been around any burning would like to get involved

I have a small spot still to burn probably in April/may. I’ll let you know.

I cut mature stands of loblolly five years ago and replanted in long leaf. Missed the burning windows in year two due to insufficient fuel load to carry the fire. The following year we had an extremely mild winter and the long leafs were producing candles by the time deer season ended so I missed burning in year three. The loblolly seed bank on this site produced thousands of seedlings which by this year were 12 feet tall in some places. I have a hand crew on site this week cutting all of the volunteer loblolly which will hopefully release the remaining long leaf. I will burn this January or February. Been a mess to deal with. When replanting long leaf, always, always, always burn in year two or three to clear out the volunteer pines that will infest the site.

It's been way too wet to burn at my place, but I was able to brush cut couple small thickets that would not burn last round. Hoping to burn late April or early May.

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