Controlled Burn 2013

Prairie_Fire01

It’s that time of year again when the dried matted native grasses are burnt off to allow for the fresh new spring growth. Spring burning also kills off any young trees thereby keeping the prairie from turning into a woodland. My brother in law, Gerald, takes care of a piece of land that was seeded years ago to native grass, and every spring he burns off part of it. Harland and Charlie, our neighbor, both wearing their fireman’s hats for the day, help out. They bring out a couple of the fire trucks to be on hand just in case. Burns are done in the early evening when the wind dies down. The fire is started on the downwind side of the area to be burned so that the fire has to burn into the wind ensuring it will move slowly making it easier to control.

Harland gathers dry grass with a pitchfork, sets it alight, and then walks along the edge of the burn area shaking the burning hay off the pitchfork. This is how the fire is spread.

Prairie_Fire02

Prairie_Fire03

Within minutes, flames and billowing smoke fill the air. The heat is tremendous and we back away.

But the dried grasses burn fast, and soon the fire dies down….

Prairie_Fire04

Prairie_Fire05

leaving a smoking blackened field.

Prairie_Fire06

Then the guys move to an area alongside a pond and start a burn there.

Prairie_Fire07

Here, water is used to keep the fire within the area just around the pond.

Prairie_Fire08

Harland continues to light the fire along the edge.

Prairie_Fire09

and then uses a fire hose to keep the fire from spreading to the wooded area that lies off to his right.

Prairie_Fire10

Once lit, the fire spreads quickly.

Prairie_Fire11

Prairie_Fire12

Harland continues ahead of the fire lighting the edge as he goes.

Prairie_Fire13

Prairie_Fire14

Prairie_Fire15

The area quickly burns down and we’re almost done…

Prairie_Fire16

All that’s left is to watch a few hot spots….

Prairie_Fire17

as twilight settles over the prairie.

Prairie_Fire18

Within a few days new prairie grass shoots will turn the blackened fields into a verdant spring green.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Suzanne

Cattle, corn, wheat, beans, mud, snow, ice, and drought. Plenty of fresh air and quiet. Our life is sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes joyous, but never boring.

You may also like...

11 Responses

  1. Glenda says:

    Cool! Oh, I mean HOT! I need someone to supervise a burn on my Missouri farm. Do volunteer fire departments charge for such a thing?
    Good job all!

  2. Lynda M O says:

    Fascinating to watch, thanks for sharing.

  3. Lorraine says:

    Recently stumbled onto your site. Farmer in the heart I am. You are as close to a prarie as I will ever get. Beautiful country! God Bless you both.

  4. Amelia says:

    Is there anything your husband can’t do, lol! Farmer, fireman, photographer, kitty-wrangler, blogger…need I say more!

  5. Carol says:

    Suzanne, your twilight picture is so lovely! Did you notice any critters making a run for the hills? We had fires on our Missouri farm, the new grass was beautiful. Rabbits were running every direction, none were injured in the making of these fires. Thank God!

    • Suzanne says:

      Thank you Carol! Didn’t see any critters that day. There are lots of holes and tunnels. I think everyone went underground.

  6. Sharon Day says:

    Amazing photos! I’ve seen controlled burns in the Flint Hills a couple of times. It’s an awesome sight at night.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.