Helping our widow friend outside town. She had a fence line cleared three years ago with a large pile of brush and trees bulldozed into about the size of a shed or two car garage. I need to burn it for her on a not windy day before summer drought sets in.

Is it better to set a small spot on fire and let it progress naturally? The wood is dried out after all this time. Anything else to know as far as best practices (besides not catching the pasture on fire)? Thought I'd ask those of you who've done this before.

techno-ag said:

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Helping our widow friend outside town. She had a fence line cleared three years ago with a large pile of brush and trees bulldozed into about the size of a shed or two car garage. I need to burn it for her on a not windy day before summer drought sets in.

Is it better to set a small spot on fire and let it progress naturally? The wood is dried out after all this time. Anything else to know as far as best practices (besides not catching the pasture on fire)? Thought I'd ask those of you who've done this before.

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Get someone who's done this before to take the lead.

Clear a minimum 10ft around it to BARE MINERAL SOIL.

I'm no expert so others will have better thoughts. However, my redneck recommendations:

1. If you have access to a disk/chisel then put a few rings around the pile to prevent unwanted fire spread.

2. Use diesel as your fire starter. I'm not sure how big of trees we are talking about but if large they may need some help getting going.

3. I would start the fire in multiple locations in the pile.

Old RV Ag said:

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techno-ag said:

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Helping our widow friend outside town. She had a fence line cleared three years ago with a large pile of brush and trees bulldozed into about the size of a shed or two car garage. I need to burn it for her on a not windy day before summer drought sets in.

Is it better to set a small spot on fire and let it progress naturally? The wood is dried out after all this time. Anything else to know as far as best practices (besides not catching the pasture on fire)? Thought I'd ask those of you who've done this before.

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Get someone who's done this before to take the lead.

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Sorry, not an option. I've burned brush piles before but not one this big. I appreciate any helpful comments.

Also, don't just look at the wind forecast for the day you are burning, look at the next day as well. If large, this is going to smolder longer than you'd think.

Is grass green around it? Do you have a tractor at the property?
Make sure burn bad is not in place.

Start on several locations and do in the morning.

Always good to run a disc around the outside to create dirt barrier. I've done with and without barrier.

Grass is green, she has no tractor. Appreciate the comments. Also yeah it will probably keep burning a while. Three or four big trees in there at least.

Disc around the pile as stated, use diesel, best to burn right after rain. Start at one site stand back and let her burn. I would notify the local fire dept. of a controlled brush burn, they may send a truck to stand by with you. Have a tractor with front end loader to keep pushing the pile together after it burns. If trees are big, make burn for a couple of days. If you know someone with dozer have them come over and push pile together as it burns.

Inform the local fire department

Light the fire so it will burn into the wind and not where the wind will push it into the rest of the pile. That helps keep it more under control.

This will burn for 2 days minimum. Wait for a stretch with light drizzling rain over a multiday stretch with low winds.

Like others have said use diesel to light and just start it in one spot (personal opinion).

If you have a big water tank with hose/sprayer, that would be ideal to have onsight.

Can you get water to it? Without a tractor and without a way to maintain wet line I'm not sure I'd try and burn a pile like you're describing. Maybe if you were expecting a steady drizzle for a couple days you could let er rip

I'll add to the suggestions. Have an excavator with a thumb on it to "tend" the fire. If it was pushed up with a dozer there is likely a lot of soil in that pile that will hinder a clean hot burn.

Also, set the fire on the upwind side and let a slight breeze push it into the pile. You can use a leaf blower for this as well.

Put up some FREE FIREWOOD SIGNS before you burn, pile may be reduced.

As many have stated, I would not burn a pile that size without a tractor to establish a 10' safe zone around it. I've had a pile smaller than that get out of control before even with doing the same thing I did several times before. I was lucky to be prepared with a trash pump and pond, but it still scared the heck out of me.

Have burned lots of very large cedar piles on our ranch over the years. Here is my two cents:
1. Green grass burns. Don't be fooled that it won't.
2. You are liable for all damages if it gets out of control.
3. Contact local FD and see if you make a donation will they send a truck over to watch it.
4. Best to burn during a light rain or heavy mist.
5. Check the wind forecast for that day and at least two or so after.
6. Fire creates its own wind and lift. Burning embers can travel quite a long distance.
7. Try to do it in the morning so you can watch it during the day and work it.
8. Did I say do it during a misty or light rain? Best conditions period.
Try to at least have a pump up sprayer with water very handy.
9. Light it downwind and let it work into the fire.
10. If the pile has been there a while watch for rattlesnakes.
11. Have some rakes and shovels handy and get you some helping hands.
12. Be careful. Things can happen quick if it should get away from you. If it should get out of control call for help as quick as you can.

Whatever you do, for the love of God don't use gasoline to get it started

Don't forget beer.

Others have said it...wait for a low wind, wet and raining day. That's what farmers around me do with huge piles of old orchard trees. Planning and patience.

I have been present at one as a kid that got out of hand pretty badly (if there was actual decent wind that day, could have been epicly bad) and was actually part of another at a job site that was edging that way before we took an active hand at fire control. As in we actually had to use what we were thinking of our "emergency" measures.

From my own perspective it would be the number of effective people on hand that would limit the size of my fires moving forward. The steps above from others are also key of course. With the circle devoid of any and all living things around it being paramount. The one that nearly got out of our hands IME there was one that was cut but not nearly large enough. Lesson learned there.

In other words if it were just me or maybe one other, I would burn it in smaller batches. It would be more time consuming of course but much easier to handle. Plus, can rid the piles of animals that may have moved in. That one I saw as a kid, a deer and her fawn were sheltering inside when it was fired and no one realized. The deer made it out. The fawn did not. I will never forget that little shriveled corpse. Still feel like **** about it to this day even though I had not real role in it.

It's probably an overabundance of caution to break it up into smaller burns but I will be damned to the lowest circles of hell before I let myself start a multi county brush fire.

ETA: I am also taking notes here. Good stuff suggested above. Especially THIS from Gunny456 above:

Quote:

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12. Be careful. Things can happen quick if it should get away from you. If it should get out of control call for help as quick as you can.

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This is gospel from what I have seen with my own eyes. It goes from everyone watching and feeling good to everyone scrambling with the "oh *****" fear in their eyes in just seconds. Do not hesitate to call it in and do not be afraid to do so.

Ragoo said:

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Inform the local fire department

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This right here. Call the local SO or FD and let them know you have a controlled burn. They will only ask for your name and number at most. Best to give them heads up so they don't get dispatched out by mistake.

techno-ag said:

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I need to burn it for her on a not windy day before summer drought sets in.

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techno,

I don't know the economics of this situation, but if you and she can spare a few bucks I'd just call a guy with a mulcher to come in and take care of it for you.

It sounds like you've got no tractor and no help so if you start a fire and the damn thing gets out of hand you'll truly learn the meaning of the old proverb ' No good deed goes unpunished.'

If you've got fence wire in that pile be sure and let the mulcher guy know before he comes out. It won't bother some of them but others will scream holy hell.

And, props for helping a widow.

Local VFD usually will use burn as training. Would contact them.

All of the above advice plus .22 rifle and ammo for the critters that run out after it is lit.

The VFD will thank you for letting them know and that's it. The volunteers have far better things to do with their lives than watch your brush pile for you.

Maybe, maybe, if you're close personal friends with one of their officers they'll send someone... maybe...

That's a big pile. Burned one that size once in the middle of a field years after a tornado where we'd piled up the trees and brush. It was Memorial Day weekend and good but not the best burning weather, had rained hard a week before and was a very humid week.

Happened to have six guys (not on purpose but it was dang helpful) with a few pump sprayers (like the pesticide applicator ones) that shoot a little squirrelly stream of pee equivalent. Wouldn't have mattered because once it really got going we couldn't get within 20-30 yards of that beast. I would definitely clear out that grass around it because every ounce of moisture in it will evaporate and it will be dry grass with lava streams of fire in no time...did I mention we couldn't get close? So those runners were 100 square feet by the time they got to us with our sprayers and rakes. We spent most of our time on ember fires.

We were never panicked because there were so many of us, but it was hard work. The trunks were definitely still going the next day and it was a good morning of pushing it up with the tractor and all the dudes we had.

If it's been there years it's going to burn like a mother. I would wait for an actual light rain to burn. It will dry itself out quickly, but that damp will really help with ember fires and runner.

Have fun. The better prepared you are the more fun it is. Wish I were close I'd come help! TexAgs OB Bonfire! Burning a pile is among the chief delights of property ownership.

The mulcher is not a bad idea. I'll talk to her about it.

Separating it out is a good idea, no tractor though. Actually doing it in the rain sounds like a good idea. If it gets rained out maybe come back and fire up a reduced pile later.

What area is the burn taking place?

Call the local non-emergency dispatch number and notify them. They will let you know if there is a burn ban or if winds are too high to burn safely. This will also help first responders if this gets out of hand.

Most VFDs won't have someone answering phones. You will leave a message and it will get listened to in 3 weeks. Call the local dispatch, they can contact the local VFDs and when your neighbor calls about smoke they will call you and check on the fire before sending a FD to your controlled burn.

Rainy day. Diesel. The rest won't matter. Unfortunately it seems rainy days don't really happen anymore.

Bonfar Ags!

If this was back in the early/mid 80s, and back in high school, we would not have attempted this burn until we cleared the area around the prospective burn pile, pulled up a small flatbed of kegs, put out a port-o-let (for the ladies), put in a call to the Sheriff (who would tell us when the Deputies would come by to check us out, running interference for the TABC), start the music, and have the gate manned.

Only then, would we have considered a burn like this.

If you can cover it as much as you can with a tarp. Wait for a rainy day and light it just after the rain stops.

It might be too late in the season to burn a pile that big. You would get better weather in Feb early Mar than between now and May. It's already set, letting it set for another 10 months won't be the end of the world.

Rule #1