Burning Season is Here!

Our burn procedures in action!

Here at Windy Ridge Outfitting we are constantly working to improve our habitat in order to provide better quality hunting for our clients. We have a “master plan” that includes many different aspects to the overall land management plan. Through this blog, we will share our tactics and reasons we feel what we do is very important. We will share both our success stories, as well as some of our failures. Hopefully this will give our readers some insight into what we go through in managing over 15,000 acres in Iowa and Missouri.

This week, I will be talking about the use of Prescribed Fire to manage grass land habitat. Now is the time to focus on cool season grasses. In 30 days or so I will also touch on Warm Season Grass.

Cool season grasses in the Midwest often consist primarily of introduced or non-native species. On the farmland in our area there are hundreds of thousands of acres of Brome Grass, Timothy Grass, and Fescue. In my opinion, these three species do not have a lot of value to the overall health of our whitetails, but none the less get grazed upon during certain periods of the year. By using fire to manage these grasses, it improves the stand by getting rid of the thatch created by the years of dead grass buildup. After a fire, these stands will be much “greener” and it is evident that the wildlife chooses the burned areas over the non-burned areas.

It is not my intention to write about all the benefits of burning, but doing a quick web search it is easy to see the benefits are great. We burn hundreds of acres every year and it is truly enjoyable to see the reward when all wildlife, not just the deer, are utilizing the areas.

When burning, one must use extreme caution to weather conditions as well as the “fuel source” provided by the area to be burned. Here is a list of what we look for when deciding to burn on any certain day.

Wind Direction – Ideally the wind will be sustained at 5-10 mph, in a direction suitable to the area to be burned. Be very careful of varying wind direction, as your fire will continue to burn in multiple directions. Too much wind is an obvious problem in that you will not be able to keep up with the fire. Too little wind will allow the fire to create its own wind and you will be unable to predict how the fire will burn.

Temperature -  We prefer to burn with a temperature between 50-70 degrees. The grass combusts accordingly, and we have found this range to be optimum. 

Relative Humidity -The humidity is extremely important. With too much humidity, the fire will not burn hot enough to give the desired results. When the humidity is too low it can be an absolute disaster as the fire will quickly get away from even the most prepared and seasoned personnel. We try to burn when the humidity level is between 20-50%.

Terrain - The terrain is vital as well, as fire will burn up hill much faster than downhill. Also, terrain will limit access to necessary equipment around the fire. The shape of the field will determine the length of firebreaks needed as well as the amount of “back-burning” needed.

Fuel Type - The amount and type of grass will also determine when best to burn. There are very few perfect days to conduct a burn. The type of “fuel” (grass) to be burned will allow you to accept different variations to all the other factors listed above.  Experience will help make these decisions. 

Not all fields are in need of a prescribed fire, or even can have fire as a way to maintain the grass stand. If the area to be burned is in CRP, you must gain permission to burn from the local FSA office and most contracts require a burn plan to be on file. 

Burning is not for the novice, so if you have little or no experience, please find an expert in your area. Many local habitat organizations can help with either the actual burn or finding the right people to do so. Here in southeast Iowa and Northeast Missouri, many of the volunteer Fire Departments will assist for a fee. There are also several professional land management companies who have adequate training to perform the work.