Controlled burn grassland...ever done one? or "Grass Burning for Dummies"

[TrotTrotPumpkn]

We have seeded and fenced in 1/3 of what will be the final pasture. Yay! Not ugly! http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-g3pyRZ40R6g/U-uR0sED1PI/AAAAAAAAA4Q/gvEkOuME_cw/s1600/20140619_085232.jpg

The next third is the occasional “wet land” and has a gazillion little to not-so-little saplings on the low third. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Bz8UWLYA9f0/VBhdiZuwIrI/AAAAAAAAA6Y/Rg4k0AQhWCw/s1600/20140903_183728.jpg Yes, that is the same property. It is SO horrible looking and is your first impression for our farm. Before you see the house with rotten siding that the contractor never showed up to do last year…but I digress. The high third is completely over-run with weeds, because that’s where the previous leasor (prior owner) put out round bales. I won’t even take a picture of that one. When I tried to tackle the weeds (the bales killed the grass), I clogged/broke my mower on hidden round bale twine (THEY NEVER TOOK ANY OFF…AUGH).
Then one third is nice, albeit gone-to-seed-and-overly-long grassland.

It is so overwhelming when I think about all the weeds out there–huge seed pods just waiting to explode on weeds as tall as I am in the worst spot (and I sprayed the crap out of it last summer–it was way worse before). I’m thinking burn it. But I’m wondering how to protect the nice mature trees in there. All of the existing fencing is coming out (the stuff pictured was torn out last fall, but there is 300 feet of barb that is in excellent shape–too bad the posts are 3.5’
tall). I’d like to burn it with the fence up–the woven cattle wire is completely choked with weeds and washed out corn stalks (flooded last year) and is just going to be a bear to tear out. I don’t think the posts would burn through…?

There is a big green electrical box by the road I’m sure we need to protect. And of course the house!

So do you hire the local fire department to do this? It seems like the local farmers just “know” how to burn ditches, which is what I see being burned, but I have no clue except the obvious (wind, etc.). How did you burn stuff?

Any downsides I’m not thinking of? Our drain field for the septic is out there somewhere, but it’s under ground so…not sure why that would matter.

[Horseychick87]

Oh boy, burning can be ‘fun’ but a lot of work.

When my Grandpa did his 5 acres he forgot to factor in the wind and nearly burnt his and my uncles houses down, and my Grandpa was a farmer who’d done it many times before, that one time he messed up.

You can do it yourself provided you know what the weather and especially the wind is going to be like. You could ‘spot burn’ do small areas at a time as it’s fairly easily managed if something gets out of hand or begins to spread.

You could also offer it to the fire department as a chance to work on their wildfire skills, many stations seem to appreciate the offer to set someones property on fire and then put it out again.

[Horseychick87]

BTW, your property looks great in that first picture. I’ve got grass envy!

[TrotTrotPumpkn]

Thank you, that is so nice! It has been a lot of work.

We had the fire department out to burn our 24’ falling down chicken coop that we inherited (right behind our house) when we bought the place. It was fun. We grilled and fed them and gave a donation (volunteer fire department). We had a crowd of spectators too. http://weownblackacre.blogspot.com/2013/10/june-17th-barn-and-chicken-coop-burning.html

I bet they would come back…I hope…As I type I think fire is definitely the way to go. I’m hoping it would eat the sapplings??

I’m still wondering if the fence is ok to leave and tear out later…and about the trees I am wanting to save. Now there are some HUGE downed tree branches out there–like 3’ wide (d*mn you Dutch Elm disease!). Those could go away.

Also what time of year does one burn grassland? I mean April will be pretty wet. I really want to kick it on the fencing in May, and I will need to reseed that whole weed-section.

[BabyGoose]

Have you contacted your the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in your area? They might be able to give you some advice.

[Horseychick87]

You’re Welcome.

I think for the trees you could wet them down and clear the land around them to help prevent them from catching fire, but it can be iffy. I believe there is a product out here you can coat the trees with, but I can’t think of it, or if it’s even still available.

It should take out the saplings, if not they’ll be pretty easy to dig out after the fire.

Here we burn right before the ‘rainy season’ which is summer, but this winter has been fairly wet also, so I’ve seen quite a few people burning land already.

The fence is also iffy about leaving it, it may catch, it may not. That could be part of the challenge for the FD, they could set the fire to ‘run’ in a certain path if at all possible and the fence is a structure they’d have to save if you wanted them to.

I can tell you though that with the burning you’ll have to stay on top of weeds as they will be the first thing to sprout due to how well the ash will fertilize the soil. So make sure the grass seed goes in quickly.

[RBH411]

We hired a company to burn our CRP ground a couple of years ago. They had the liability if anything went wrong. I think our CRP contract required it to be burned in late spring/early summer (something to do with timing it after pheasants hatched).

My masters degree is in weed science, so this is right up my alley and gets me all excited! Depending on what kind of weeds you have, the timing of the burn may be different. If they are perennial weeds, late summer/early fall puts the most stress on them, as they are trying to take in and store as much energy so they can survive the winter. Burning won’t necessarily kill all perennial weeds/trees, nor destroy seeds that are in the soil. You will probably have to employ multiple methods of control (burn, till, mow, spray are all possibilities) to get a handle on the problem. Your local extension office should have some resources for pasture management that could be helpful.

[Calamber]

Goats! Not yours of course, but borrowed ones, and they will do a dandy job on saplings as well. Then you can burn.

[Guilherme]

First, contact your County Agent (and NRCS) and get specific advice for your locale and maybe even your farm. Ours (both) will make “site visits” on request. You have to schedule them but they are worthwhile.

Then contact your local FD (or VFD) and see what their policies are. With our local VFD for a $50 donation they will put a small truck and couple guy on site while we burn. That’s cheap “peace of mind.”

Good luck in your project.

G.

[HungarianHippo]

Sometimes the VFD guys are available for hire “off the books”. It’s a courtesy to let nearby neighbors know before your burn, and never a bad idea to bring over a pie or bottle of wine in advance for the inconvenience of smoke blowing their way.

Just want to add that a few consecutive seasons of religious mowing really truly does fix most weed problems. Our property was chest-high with goldenrod, thistle, ditchweed, you name it. It looked hopeless. Hired a neighbor to knock it down with a sickle mower, and then kept it mowed thereafter. Within 3 years we had nice, mannerly hayfields. The grass will take over if you give it a chance.

[allons-y]

Yes, we just burned our pastures. New property we just purchased. Its a Pecan grove and ground cover was not their primary concern. We had a lot of matted, thick dried grass from last year, hindering this year’s green from showing their heads. The SOP here in the boonies is to let the VFP know what we’re doing, then we were out there on foot and with water tank on the Mule. Passersby did call the FD due to all the smoke, but they already knew, and dropped by to check and I think, to have a reason to run with lights on. LOL. A week later and the grass is very happy for our kind attention. Do it yearly or so and it wont be so tall its a hazard. As fun as the tractor is, this is really easy, and satisfying, and I love the smell. ( I know, I’m weird)

[JanM]

Where I live there are the really tall (the tall trunk, with smaller Christmas tree pine tops) long leaf pines, and they have controlled burns here required by law to clear out brush. It also lets the tree farmers for the long leaf pines to get rid of the smaller trees and brush, so the tall pines grow better.

The lower trees (lots of oak, and other shorter trees) burn too, the only ones that survive are the really tall pines. I think the extension agent is the right place to turn for advice, and you’ll probably have to get back up from the fire department.

Don’t forget that the smoke that goes straight up during the day may drop to the ground, and smoke people out at night. Definitely notify the neighbors, because anyone with breathing problems, or who doesn’t want to be exposed to the smoke will have to prepare.

[TrotTrotPumpkn]

Unless it is a south wind, we don’t have any neighbors for miles, so that isn’t an issue. I can sure let the neighbor to the north and east know. Maybe invite them over for hot dogs & brats if we have a burn party. I keep trying to introduce myself to the north neighbor (knocked on door, etc.) to no avail.

Our county extension is non-existent. They ended the local program and made it a state-wide one and I think you have to be a large commercial farm to get a return phone call, because they didn’t bother with mine. I’ve called them about weeds before. The co-op didn’t want to call me back either. 8-10 acres isn’t that exciting in farm country.

I can’t even get the riding mower through it and there are hidden branches and rocks everywhere. When I sprayed I did it by hand. It was horrible–I almost stepped on a possum and then on a snake. Mini heart attack. UGH. It is a few feet taller than the riding mower. It’s probably hard to imagine for people on upkept farms. I don’t really want to weed wack 2 acres by hand.

The goat idea isn’t terrible. How much is a goat or two? Nobody rents goats here like they do in urban areas. I’d like to clear out my shelter belt too and burning wouldn’t work there. It can be their multi-year project. Are some goats better than others for this? Can I keep them contained with 5’ tall panels I could move around?

[JanM]

Could you have a brush hog (that’s sort of what they call it here), which where I live is a tractor with a big attachment (I really know nothing about this apparently) go through the area one time. Then maybe you could at least get the hay strings out of the way.

Here are some how to publications:
http://www.noble.org/ag/wildlife/prescribedburn/
http://www.dnr.state.mi.us/publications/pdfs/huntingwildlifehabitat/landowners_guide/habitat_mgmt/grassland/Prescribed_Burning.htm

https://www.treefarmsystem.org/controlled-burn
http://www.prescribedburn.org/prescribed_burning_resources/burn_checklist.html

[Calamber]

[QUOTE=TrotTrotPumpkn;8037427]
Unless it is a south wind, we don’t have any neighbors for miles, so that isn’t an issue. I can sure let the neighbor to the north and east know. Maybe invite them over for hot dogs & brats if we have a burn party. I keep trying to introduce myself to the north neighbor (knocked on door, etc.) to no avail.

Our county extension is non-existent. They ended the local program and made it a state-wide one and I think you have to be a large commercial farm to get a return phone call, because they didn’t bother with mine. I’ve called them about weeds before. The co-op didn’t want to call me back either. 8-10 acres isn’t that exciting in farm country.

I can’t even get the riding mower through it and there are hidden branches and rocks everywhere. When I sprayed I did it by hand. It was horrible–I almost stepped on a possum and then on a snake. Mini heart attack. UGH. It is a few feet taller than the riding mower. It’s probably hard to imagine for people on upkept farms. I don’t really want to weed wack 2 acres by hand.

The goat idea isn’t terrible. How much is a goat or two? Nobody rents goats here like they do in urban areas. I’d like to clear out my shelter belt too and burning wouldn’t work there. It can be their multi-year project. Are some goats better than others for this? Can I keep them contained with 5’ tall panels I could move around?[/QUOTE]

You can likely find plenty of free goats on Craigslist or word of mouth/postings at local feed stores. Yes, you can keep goats contained with 5’ tall panels. This website has some useful info.

http://www.noble.org/Ag/Livestock/GoatVegetation/

http://www.noble.org/ag/soils/goats/

[rustbreeches]

Everybody here burns ditches and fields EVERY SINGLE SPRING. There is literally almost a month where I can’t hang laundry out because somebody within a few miles is burning. And every year, a fire or two gets away and someone loses a shed or garage, or has to at least call the FD out.

Most use burners mounted on tractors.
My suggestion would be to very carefully burn the perimeter, at least 10’-12’ wide. Have water and shovels ready to keep it from going crazy. Once you have burned the perimeter, let the interior go. Once it gets to the already burned perimeter, it will stop. Usually! Also, fire will run up a hill, so start at the top of the hill so you don’t lose it. If you think it is going to get away from you, you can try a back fire, and see if you can kill it head on, by taking away fuel. Out here, when a fire gets going, they usually bring in the bat wings to plow a huge break and stop it, I have also seen them turn on ditches to try and keep it contained, but that only works if the ditch is running and you can get to the head gates quickly