Burn it up!

How are you doing, friends? I am really happy for things happened last days. Be warned that this is going to be a huge post!

Last time I wrote I told you that we were already in our first burning destination (Bainbridge, GA). Weather was inappropiate for burning and we can't do it for the first three days. On Wednesday, 3rd April, we only met Georgia Forest Commission's crew (our collaborators in these prescribed burns). They showed us the two burn units and we had a great time sharing knowledge. 

This day it started to rain and we were spectating: will we be abble to burn tomorrow? Rain continued for all the night and reached its maximum on the morning, so we were out of the prescription (out of the window). On Thursday, 4th April, we went to GFC's Office and expended the day "preparing" the two burning plans. "Preparing" means that we took a look on the main concerns, on the unit and on the general weather, but we weren't abble to figure out concrectly anythings, because we didn't know the exactly conditions we were going to have two, maybe three days after. Rodney, GFC Chief Ranger in Bainbridge, gave us the opportunity to take a look all over the city from the lookout tower they have close to the Office. It was amazing view!

Weather wasn't expected to change for the next day. We were supossed to change destination on Monday, 8th April, so we didn't want to leave Bainbridge at this time. Finally we decided to take our one-day off (one day off in the whole seasson, we are here for working, learning, teaching, burning and not for doing tourism). It was a really good day with that guys. I am really loving them: great people. We visited Wakulla Springs (close to Wakulla), St. Marks and Oyster Bay. Very nice places. In Wakulla Springs we took the tour and we saw alligators, turtles, manaties and many birds. Oyster Bay was also awesome! Very beautiful bay. And, of course: huge eating in a typical restaurant.

When the day was arriving to the sunset, we realized that weather wasn't going to let us burn (we were really sad), so our great Field Cordinator asked PFTC for alternatives. Gratefully, G. S. (PFTC advisor, very experienced), was kind enough to join us on Saturday for a field learning trip to Apalachicola Bluffs and Ravines Reserved (managed by The Nature Conservancy, where G. S. used to work).

In that place we learnt many things: fire ecology, main species, concernings on prescribed burns, threatened species, learned lessons, and lots of other interesting things. I was really happy to be there. I would like to remember all G. S. told us, but is going to be hard.

Of course, we emphasiez in Longleaf pine ecology (Pinus palustris). It is a really-full-fire adapted pine. It stays close to the ground for the first between one and three years, it doesn't waste any energy in growing, so it is al the time making strongs roots.

 

During this period it developpes long needles wich cover the apical meristem, protecting it from fire. After this stage, it starts to grow fast without low branches (sometimes without, other times with but soft ones, easy to burn and lose without major injuries).

After this stage it developpes low branches and more meristems, ready to go! All the time needles keep pine safe from fire.

 

In the last days burns I have had the opportunity to take some photos of some of these pines burned, and it is amazing: medium ones can be burned easier than smaller ones (those are more protected). Of course, sometimes fire is too much intense and nothing is useful.

 We also took a look on saw palmetto (Serenoa repens), also adapted to fire. It is kind of a inmortal plant: doesn't die neither because of fire, nor because of dry, bad soil, sand soil, disseases,... It developpes a very stronge root (locally called "gator back", because despite of start deep in the ground, it grows upper and stands horizontally close to the surface; if you are walking is similar to an alligator back) hard to kill; you burn it, and in few days is growing again. All of these, obviously, working together, in a nice kind of ecosystem, with many grasses, shrubs and trees (lots of variability in under-mid and overstory).

 We also had the time to enjoy landscape: very nice! And the best thing: weather was changing and we were going to be abble to burn the next day.

And finally, the next day (Sunday, 7th April) weather allowed us to burn. Great! I will try to make a brief summary of all the burns, includind burn plan (with photos of both, crew's maps and handmades by me), assignements, objectives, concerns, development and learned lessons. And also some learning-useful-interesting-funny photos. So, go ahead!

I want to emphasize somethings about burn plans. Sometimes we think in burn plans as huge documents, full of page, graphs, WX, charts and other stuff. Well, the page's average in our burn plans is four including WX. And briefins are as accurate and useful as any other. One handmade draw, asignements and objectives summarized in two pages of a little notebook are completly useful. And there are not lags in information.

I apologize for all the mistakes in the notes I write in my notebook (with language and other stuff). It is hard to write fast in a non-tongue language while drawing, trying to think in different concerns and being excited for the burn.

I will only summarize the most interesting info, the whole data can be viewed on the photos of my notebook.

BURN UNIT 1 - (no name) - (no date) - Bainbridge, GA
-Size: 59,00ha (145.73ac).
-Fuel model: TU3, SH8 (4 year rough).
-Main winds: SW.
-Concerns: WUI, snakes, bees, mosquitoes, lots of snugs, power line.
-This unit wasn't finally burned because we ran out of time. Maybe, if we have the time, we will return and burn it.
-I first wrote about this unit as "Burn unit 1", so you will realize that the number of the burn is one up to the number of the burn units. I apologize.

BURN UNIT 2 - Martin pasture - 7th, April 2013 - Bainbridge, GA

****BRIEFING
 -Size: 91,01ha (225.00ac).
-Fuel model: mainly TU3, SH8 (3 year rough).
-Main winds: N-NW.
-Objectives: reduce fuels (and hazard) and control hardwood and firefighters safety.
-Concerns: snakes, few snugs.

-Burn boss trainee: Peter Harris.

****DEVELOPMENT
-Test fire in unit 4 (NW corner of the unit); fire behavior favorable.
-Team 1: black line from ECHO to ZULU, 3m wide and using BACKING FIRE. Also STRIP HEADING FIRE every 2 chains (1ch = 66 ft = 22m) in direction E-W. In every joint of each different unit holding and looking fire behavior.
-Team 2: black line from DELTA to ALPHA (passing by CHARLIE) with BACKING FIRE. Then ATV (quad) burning from ECHO to DELTA (solid line). Then burning from CHARLIE to FOXTROT (solid line, burnt as low intensity head fire).
-When those operations were completed: Team 1 burning from ZULU to ALPHA, using STRIP HEADING FIRE built with POINT SOURCE FIRE, because of active fire behavior (as you can see, there are many posibilities with the firing techniques, also you can mix various, the most important is being abble to ADAPT to the changing conditions).
-As you should have realized, burn plan can change between set in Office. Field conditions are variable and we have to let some possibility to change when writting the plan and asking for authorization.
-Collaborators: 1 ATV, 1 person.
 

****DEBRIEFING (ER)
-ICAO code useful.
-Great adaptation by chagin firing techniques when fuels change.
-Need for being faster in preparing gear in the morning.
-Good briefing, good LACES remind.
-Objectives ACHIEVED.

****PHOTOS

And, obiously, dinner and having funny times:

Note: we LOVE safety. We all wear FULL PPE. There are two photos in which we don't wear eye protection: we only took the photo in three seconds and restored FULL PPE wearing. SAFETY FIRST.

The day finished great, tired and hoping next burn


BURN UNIT 3 - (Hongpen pond) - 8th, April 2013 - O'leno State Park, High Springs, FL

****BRIEFING
-Size: 10,93ha (27ac).
-Fuel model: mainly GS4, SH6, SH9.
-Main winds: SE.
-Objectives: increase open areas by 10%, burn with complete combustion >80% of beetle area, top kill 40% of hardwood in zone with DBH < 2,54cm, burn completly 90% of the area and firefighters safety.
-Concerns: Poison oak (Toxicodendron diversilobum), Poison ave (Toxicodendron radicans), snakes, alligators.
-Burn boss trainee: Jeremy Bradley.

 

 
****DEVELOPMENT
-Test fire near NW mow line (between ALPHA and DELTA); fire behavior favorable.
-Team 1: black line 5m wide, using BACKING FIRE from ALPHA to BRAVO.
-Team 2: black line 6m wide, using BACKING FIRE and using STRIP HEADING FIRE (first 8m long, spaced 1ch, then 4m long, spaced 1ch) from DELTA to CHARLIE. Intense fire behavior. The same from CHARLIE to BRAVO, generating both, STRIP HEADING FIRE and HEAD FIRE, in direction EW.
-All resources: mopping-up opperations.
-Collaborators: 1 type 6 engine, 1 type 7 engine, 6 people.

I apologize but this day I forgot to charge the battery of my Garmin and I have few GPS data.

****DEBRIEFING
-Provided maps low quality.
-Great job burning a unit never seen before.
-Great collaboration and coordination.
-Perfect adaptation of firing techniques: when strip heading fire was dangerous for firefighters we changed to doing strips only firing when returning from inside the unit to the trail, and also with dots if neccesary.
-Need to figure out mop up operations before, in breafing.
-Objectives ACHIEVED.

****PHOTOS

Perfect example of BACKING FIRE. Wind direction is to the right of the photo (you can see inclined flames and smoke) but fire is advancing in the opposite direction, slowly:

 Changes in fire behavoir (require adapting firing techniques):

  Strip heading fire (variant: only fire when returning):

And: objectives achieved:

BURN UNIT 4 - (ol-1C) - 9th, April 2013 - O'leno State Park, High Springs, FL

****BRIEFING
-Size: 56,68ha (140.00ac).
-Fuel model: mainly TU1, TL6, SH8 (3-4 year rough).
-Main winds: SE, expected wind shift to E at 1500.
-Objectives: increase open areas by 10%, burn with complete combustion >80% of beetle area, top kill 40% of hardwood in zone with DBH < 2,54cm, burn completly 90% of the area and firefighters safety.
-Concerns: Poison oak (Toxicodendron diversilobum), Poison ave (Toxicodendron radicans), snakes, alligators, sinkholes.
-Burn boss trainee: Peter Harris.

We request the National Weather Service Forescast Office for a Spot Forecast:

****DEVELOPMENT
-Test fire in ALPHA (NW corner); fire behavior favorable.
-Team 1: black line from ALPHA to BRAVO, using BACKING FIRE and STRIP HEADING FIRE when low intensity occured.
-Team 2: black line from DELTA to BRAVO, first using unsuccesfull BACKING FIRE, then with very close strips (STRIP HEADING FIRE), then wider ones (when fire intisity increased). Also from CHARLIE to BRAVO, STRIP HEADING FIRE with longer strips, trying to push fire to North. Wind swifted and we pushed a HEAD FIRE in direction EW.
-It was necessary burning some unburned acres between ALPHA and DELTA.
-All resources: mopping-up opperations.
-Collaborators: 1 type 6 engine, 1 type 7 engine, 6 people.

You can see the walk inside the burn unit, meaning that we needed to fix some unburned areas:

****DEBRIEFING
-Being flexible, adapting firing techniques.
-Working with many smoke.
-Holding when wind swifts.
-Not smoke in the Highway.
-Applied learned lessons.
-Objectives ACHIEVED.

****PHOTOS

Improvisation and optimization of resources:

We expected to use AERIAL IGNITION, finally wasn't neccesary:

  

I love that guys:

 

I think that's enough for now. The next post will be about our last burns in Lakeland, GA. Hope you enjoy and learn as much as I am doing. Thank you very much for your time.

Photo: Jesse Haurey - Redmon SmokeJumpers