Two-year spring prescribed burn summary: Pleasant Valley Conservancy
Pleasant Valley
Conservancy spring burn summary: 2014 and 2015
Area burned:
2014: 82.5 acres
2015: 90.6 acres
Burn designation
|
Type of area burned
|
Date: 2014
|
Acres
|
Date: 2015
|
Acres
|
Prairie/savanna
|
South-facing slope; prairie and
savanna remnant; several planted prairies
|
March 29, 2014
|
23
|
March 18, 2015
|
27
|
Savanna and prairie
|
Ridge-top bur oak savannas; Basin
(white oak) savannas; planted prairies
|
April 6, 2014
|
56
|
March 20, 2015
|
46
|
Woodland/savanna/prairie
|
North-facing woods; white oak
woods; planted and remnant prairie
|
with April 6, 2014
|
April 6, 2015
|
14
|
|
Wetland
|
Narrow strip adjacent to wet
mesic prairies
|
April 22, 2014
|
3.5
|
April 16, 2015
|
3.6
|
Total acres
|
2014
|
82.5
|
2015
|
90.6
|
These were the 17th (2014) and 18th
(2015) years that Pleasant Valley Conservancy has been burned. For a summary of all burn years, see this link.
A few notes:
In addition to the spring burns, a major fall burn of the complete North Woods was done on October 29,
2014. See this link for details.
These successful burns confirmed our belief in the value of doing
large burns. When the weather is favorable and a good crew is available, the
plan is to start as early in the day as possible and burn all day, reserving
the late afternoon/early evening for mop-up. All preparation work, such as finalizing
firebreaks and adjusting equipment is done on previous days. Lots of drip torch
fuel and water are at hand. (Experience has shown that you can never have too
much drip torch fuel or water.)
The best burn weather is in the 11 AM until 3 PM period and
the crew is made to understand that time cannot be wasted during this period of
the day on lunch or other “social” activities. Crew members should carry whatever lunch items
they need on their person (power bars are distributed before the burn begins). The
water supply vehicle carries lots of extra drinking water, and the crew is urged
to avoid dehydration.
Spring burns: In
general, spring burns are relatively easy to carry out. The burn season is
fairly long, and the fuel is well cured. The key is to start as early in the
season as possible. The quite different starting date between 2014 and 2015 was
because of weather variables.
Some issues that may arise: 1) getting DNR approval for a
burn; 2) statewide burn bans; 3) lining up crew; 4) variable weather. In 2015
we employed an experienced fire weather meteorologist to provide advanced warning of
when good burn weather could be anticipated.
Fall burns: These burns are often difficult. The burn
season is fairly short and the prairie fuel will not be well cured. However,
fall is generally the best time for oak woods burns. A successful oak woods
burn depends on leaf fall, which is somewhat variable from year to year. (In 2014
we had great leaf fall of all oak species the last three or four days of
October.) DNR approval is not needed in the fall and statewide burn bans never
occur. Since few fall burns are done in our area, a crew is easier to get. However,
good burn weather may never develop. Daylength is shorter.
Night burns should be avoided except in unusual situations.
Even in the spring, with DST and longer days, conditions at night are generally
unfavorable (higher RH; unsure footing; difficult mop-up). In the fall, night
burns can almost never be done.
Prescribed burning is
a seven-day-a-week job. This does not
mean that burn crews must work seven days a week, but some crew members must be
prepared to work on Saturday and/or Sunday instead of one or two weekdays, if
necessary.
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