Prescribed Burning

[bjstockard]

What are y'all's thoughts about prescribed burning? I know it can promote native grasses and is good for the quail and deer population, but will burning help clear an overgrown field or will it just leave a charred mess?

[jkf123]

We burn different areas of our ranch each year. It certainly helps clearing out old debris and promotes growth. A few weeks after the first rain after you burn you won't hardly be able to tell you burned.

Make sure you have a properly certified fire boss and cut/burn the proper fire lanes before burning.

[Bear82]

Be careful! Fields always look better after they are burned. I would contact Ag office for advice. If you have trees and such in the field it could hurt them if you dont keep it away from them and then you might have a mess.

That or one of the favorite things I've seen on this site is get some cows or goats. People seem to really love the cows here.

[Leftridge]

Burning is an awesome tool to use in land management.. You want a qualified burn boss to help you out and educate your self on wildfire but it's well worth it.. Cartainly there are better times of the year to burn also so you would want to check into that as well..

I don't have much experience with burning outside of the wildfire community so hopefully someone will chime in with better info.. I do believe QDMA might have some article on the subject...

[Low Fence]

Great tool, but to late in the year to burn IMHO. If its green, I wont burn good and smolders too long. I burn late Feb.- late Mar. All the tall stuff is dead and will burn complete and FAST. Your soil is full of native seeds......some you will like, some you will hate.

[KMock]

Great tool if implemented correctly. I really like a warm season burn. Warm season seems to be more beneficial for control or KR & Buffel Grass. Too much young wildlife to harm during the spring time and not enough fuel load. Late summer or late winter are my preference. Depends on goals.

[Russ]

man i wish some one would burn some stuff at my lease!!! There's some stuff so thick with briars you cant do anything with it! Does anyone have a number to call in the Palo Pinto area for a pro burner???

[Sippy]

we want to burn a part of ours but cant find anyone who knows how to do it in eastland cty

[Fightinaggies]

It will help clear a overgrown area for sure. It will be charred for a little bit but after that first good rain you will be surprised how fast it will come back. When it does start coming back the animals will be all over the new forbs coming back up

[matt.machacek]

Burning is a different based on what part of the state you in. I've burned on the costal prairie and in the Edwards plateau. It gets a lot flasher out west due to low humidity and more volatile fuel like cedar. For quail and deer I am a big fan of a cool season burn with higher humidity. Your burn will not be very aggressive and it will be quite patchy. It is not as pretty afterwards because you will still have some standing litter, but this opens areas for new forbs and still gives you some plants for nesting cover.

Some people are fans of burning single patches and it is great, but you can accomplish this with inconsistent continuity in your fine fuel (grass) and mild conditions. Mild conditions are below 60 degrees, 40% humidity or higher and wind speed below 10mph.

Matt Machacek
Aggie Class of '06

[Death from Above]

I believe Smokin Feathers on here is a burn manager.....he probably has some good contact info.