Burn Piles for Beginners

[boxygen]

I sometimes tarp my piles and then burn on a day when it is pouring out. Works perfectly, the pile is bone dry and burns really well, I dont worry in the least bit about catching anything on fire, and what else are you going to do on a day that its pouring out? Tarping and burning during the winter when there is snow on the ground is even better.

 

[teg]

...I'm just 100 yards from the volunteer fire department...

Would suck to burn the fire dept. down

Statewide Burning Ban | Local Burn Restrictions | Virginia Department of Forestry |

reason I bought a chipper...

 

[6string]

I burned 3 large brush piles last week while on "vacation".I got up early and there was a heavy dew and very light wind. I have been wanting to build a PTO sprayer(100 gal.) to mount on the tractor in case of grass fires in the summer,buttt...SOMEDAY. I have the tractor and disc and shovel on site when I'm burning a brush pile though. This time of the year the ground is plenty wet but the grass is like flash paper and all it takes is one spark.

 

[Pilot]

So much of what has been said is valid for one area or type of brush and not another. I burn a lot and have no problem getting stuff to grow where the piles were--actually they grow better because competition is reduced--seeds & weeds burned up--and nutrients, except nitrogen, increase from ashes of the burned stuff. The nitrogen goes into the air. This has been true in NW Oregon where I live now as well as in western Montana. Actually the heat doesn't go very far into the soil, just an inch or two.

Cedar and cut Scotch broom burn like a torch.

I like using a sprayer to put fuel on the fire because you can put a film over almost everything and have little waste. If you throw it on from a bucket or fuel can, a lot just washes down to the ground.

Never, never, never use gasoline to start your pile. The fumes will drift and if you start the fire from downwind or downhill, you will be inside the explosion area. It's just a quick whoosh, but you don't want to be there. A mix of 1/3 gasoline and 2/3 diesel works OK.

A fire line around the pile isn't a bad idea, but if the area around the pile is wet it may not be necessary. The line doesn't have to be very wide--I have fought forest fires where we dug a line only a few inches wide because there wasn't much fuel. The more fuel, the wider the line. Just have to get down to mineral soil. If you put your line next to the pile, you'll want a wider line. Go out 10 feet and the line can be pretty narrow--unless you have a monster pile.

If burning anywhere near a building, be sure the gutters are clean or wet.

Propane burners use a lot of propane.

You can take a toilet paper roll, dip it in diesel and put it under a tall and dense part of the pile and light it. It will burn for quite a while, but most of the heat goes straight up, which is why you put it under a tall part of the pile. Or as someone mentioned, use a newspaper.

Big stuff burns best if close together to radiate heat back & forth.

You want fines--little stuff, twigs and needles in abundance to start the fire. Here I can start a fire easily if I have a lot of dry Doug fir needles. But hardwoods with no leaves? No way. The have to dry a very long time compared to the DF.

 

[955er]

I have many pines on my acreage that have been dying over the last 7 years. I have lit many large piles and prayed (I have one out there right now I am worried about).

Wait another month or two, get up before dawn when there is much dew on the ground and zero wind, and burn away. If these conditions are not met, I will not burn.

As the member said earlier about his neighbors barn, you need to worry more about flying embers than a ground fire. I have found that a heavy morning dew greatly reduces that problem.

 

[ShenandoahJoe]

Well, the burn went off without a hitch on Saturday. Amazing thing: a tractor and two chainsaws means free teen-age labor shows up without my even asking! By my calculation, I got 33 hours of work out of those guys.

We got rid of 30 stink-trees, about 15 cubic yards of vines that were strangling my riparian forest, and all kinds of random lumber that mysteriously appeared all by itself once word got out.

I took Boxygen's advice and arranged for it to rain all Friday night, stay clear all day Saturday, and then rain another quarter-inch around midnight. The weather bureau made me promise not to give out that particular phone number, though.

As kindling, I recommend the pizza boxes that held lunch for the work crew.
Thanks again, y'all!

 

[czechsonofagun]

We are burning this Friday. It is Czech tradition to burn witches - or evil spirits of the winter - on the 30th of April and the huge pile comes handy. We can burn anything after 4PM unless there are wind or dry conditions. The pile is in the middle of a pasture, no danger there unless the wind goes off the chart.

Walpurgis Night - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Lacal]

I have 5 acres of overgrown mesquites, sage and other brush to burn and had a slash pit dug that is 15' deep, 15' long and 5' wide. I still require a calm day and fire must be out an hour before sunset. I had to get a burn permit from the state and must notify the closest fire station before starting. And no I don't waste the mesquite wood.

 

[MNBobcat]

When I burn I keep spraying water on the fire. That way I have total control of how hot the fire gets. I keep the fire in check and don't let it get too hot.

 

[studor]

When I burn I keep spraying water on the fire. That way I have total control of how hot the fire gets. I keep the fire in check and don't let it get too hot

If you want less fire, add less fuel. Spraying water on it means a less complete,longer burn with more pollution. The water may also result in a lot more airborn particulate (flying embers) which is not good

Propane burners use a lot of propane

. Dollar for dollar the propane torch will work better and last longer than petroleum distillates like diesel or gas
JMHO