burning tips

[RobertN]

Go to your local Fire Dept. Check to see if you need a permit. Check to see what you can burn, and how big the pile can be. Local regulations vary!

Out here, we have to get a permit. Piles are "Suppossed" to be 4'x4' or smaller. Only yard trimming may be burned; burn barrels are banned.

Our neighbor got dinged this year; he burnt construction debri along with yard trimmings, made icky smelly smoke, and got turned in...

Burning here is suspended until at least November; summer is tinder dry out here(we can not have fireworks either).

 

[Gatorboy]

You will need a burn permit. The permits allow you to burn starting, I think, in September and running through April-ish. In Harford County, Maryland (and possibly all of MD), there is NO burning during the warm/hot months -- all of the humidity keeps the smoke from disappating as well.

Your burn pile must be 200' from any woods and 1/4 mile away from any home. I will need to get a permit this year -- I had one a few years back. They had to come out to see my burn site to make sure I met all of the distance requirements.

You can burn small campsite type fires without a permit -- just keep some hotdogs around in case someone comes by. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif But if you are going to burn a large pile, get a permit.

 

[Birdhunter1]

To JD green 227,
I don't know who told you it would be safer to burn in the winter but I would have to disagree. In the winter everything is dry and is highly flammable; fall leaves, brush, grass, you name it. In the summer time the grass is green and will help keep the fire contained. Green leaves won't catch on fire immediately and brush is thriving so it won't catch as readily in the summer either. The only tiem I ever plan a burn in the winter I actually and deliberatley plan on burning the whole field or patch of woods off becasue I know it will all go quickly. I burn the big piles that I want to keep contained in the summer because it is easier to contain at that time.

 

[SPIKER]

bird Out in CA in summer everything is DEAD and dry as tinder. can't burn even a grill out there then with out getting into trouble, tossing out a lit cig a long the road will get you jail time if convicted!!! same for a few other places, here in Ohio is like you have in ILL. wet in summer good to burn time, unless you are field burning then in winter.

Mark M

 

[BB_TX]

<font color="blue"> My township will only let me burn something this size during the middle of winter </font>
Is that because the ground is covered with snow and no chance for a wildfire?
I never burn mid/late winter or mid/late summer. As others stated, everything is usually dead and dry and grass fires are almost a given.

 

[InlineDieselFan]

Many good ideas have been mentioned, but one I did not see and that I use here in the wet side of Washington, in a fan. A gas powered fan set to blow at the base of the fire makes the fire burn much quicker and hotter with less smoke. If you have no access to a gas powered fan use a generator and a commercial type 'Patton' fan, mine is the 24 inch model. When I burn I get it done quick and with very little smoke as compared to others.

Do the usuals as mentioned, permit, FD okay, not when hot and dry, clear space around the fire, diesel, old oil, or a propane torch, NOT gasoline. Keep the tractor bucket full of dirt, if you are able, have a water hose nearby. Use some common sense.

steve

 

[Birdhunter1]

I think I'll try that on my next brush fire. I use to be a sheetmetal worker and I have several old fans out of airhandlers that we took out of buildings and I have a nice generator too. Should I send pictures of the blaze when I light her up, she's about 30' long by 15' wide and 8' tall? It's all a bunch of nuisance Russian Olive trees.

 

[BrettW]

thanks everyone,
I don't have a big fan but my kid does play the trumpet. The hot air out of that thing will rev up any fire, bw

 

[JDgreen227]

It should be obvious that during mid winter in cental Michigan everything is covered with snow, which is the reason the local fire dept. will only let me burn a huge pile then. Smaller fires up to 3 feet square may be burnt any time of the year unless it is very dry, but even then a verbal permit is required from the local FD. The closest woods to my burn pile is over a quarter mile away and they will not issue a permit unless the wind speed is under 2-3 mph. If the wind exceeds that and you burn anyhow, the permit is void.

 

[higgy]

2-3 mi/her. Wow we would never beable to burn here in ID if we waited for that type of conditon. We just start are downwind and let the fire burn back. Workd great. Last year we had a mile of windrow to burn, 4X4 feet and five lines 1000 feet long. Took two morinings to do. We burn very early to use the few % points of dew to help control the burn. It is amazing what a little mosture will do to subdue the burn rate.

 

[higgy]

hmmm., only 4 more posts to new level, thisis one.

 

[BrettW]

a new level would be impressive,
perhaps this will help. bw
ps, got 3 more small piles to burn now,
used my box blade to back into and grab a good
bit of brush, worked great

 

[Tick]

I got a new religion when a brush fire got out of control, and took off across the field. Man did that thing go! As long as it was contained to my place I didn't care what happened (well sot of /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif), but I sure didn't want it jumping the fence on to my neighbor's property.

Anyhow after trying to battle it in vain, I called the volunteer fire fighters in, who saved the day, and my hide! I never thought a fire could go so fast or grow so large in such a small matter of time.

Now whenever I burn, I call the VFD. They send out a pumper, and wait til the last ember is completely out before returning to the station.

Tick

 

[sassafraspete]

If you live in Indiana, don't burn anything in March during basketball march madness which is considered a religion here. During 1987, when IU was marching toward their championship... an inexperienced neighbor decided to burn some weeds behind his house. This was at the base of a hill, that had a lot of dried grasses. Anyhow, the March winds picked up, and his fire got out.

Fortunate for him.....the IU game had just finished, else no one would have come to help fight the fire.... and also he lived next door to the VFD. After several neighbors fought the fire we were able to put it out before reaching a stand of old, dead pine trees.

That neighbor who started the fire....soon became the newest member of the VFD in our small rural community.

sassafraspete