The single most important thing you must know before you burn is that you are legally liable for any and all damages that may occur as a result of your burning. Escaped fire, damage to property or dwellings, drifting smoke, creating a viability hazard or smoke damage to residences are just a few of the things to consider. I don't want to scare you away from burning but it is critical that you understand the consequences of an uncontrolled burn. With some planning and preparation it is easy to avoid any of the problems associated with an escaped fire.

Firebreaks are used to protect areas from burning and are used to start back fires against. Firebreaks can be either plowed or disced. Firebreaks can also be greenlines, strips of cool season grasses, but need to be planned at least a season ahead of the planned burn. A burn line can also be used as a firebreak but they are time consuming to put in. Burn lines are done by stringing fire for a few feet along the downwind edge of the field and allowed to back burn several feet before being extinguished. By looking at your map, determine where firebreaks need to be.

Helpful Hint:
Plan to have some of your firelanes as disced lanes annually. After burning, plant to annual food plots. This serves a dual role of firelane and food plot while eliminating the need for the extra expense and labor of exclusively establishing food plots.

Look at your map and imagine which direction would be ideal for the wind to be coming from. Choose a wind direction which will carry the smoke away from any roads or nearby houses. Once you choose the desired wind direction you can plan where to start your back fires. Always start on the downwind side or corner of the field. Indicate on your map where this is and which directions you are going to string fire from the starting point.

You will need help to conduct your burn. The number of people varies depending upon the size of the field to be burned and the experience of the crew. An experienced crew of three can handle most prescribed burns. Usually four to five are needed if you have limited experience. I don't think you can have too much help. (As long as everyone is assigned a job and understands their duties.) You will need some equipment and although there is specialized equipment for prescribed burns most farmers have equipment that will work for the purpose. Metal bow rakes, garden sprayers and wet burlap sacks are the most common. A farm size sprayer with a hand nozzle attached should be on site in case of an escape.

Before starting your burn notify local authorities, local law enforcement and neighbors. The kind and intensity of smoke created by a native grass fire can create some tense moments for anyone uninformed. By notifying the local fire authorities when and where you are conducting a controlled burn it will avoid any unnecessary and perhaps costly fire runs. Also in the event of a problem they are already aware of your location. Local law enforcement personnel need to be notified because they are often called in emergencies and should know to avoid any undue alarm. Many times you can get neighbors to help as well.

Wind speed should be between 5 and 15 mph. Humidity should be between 30% and 60%. If doing more than one burn or burning throughout the day, check the humidity several times. High humidity levels in the morning can quickly change through the day as temperatures rise. Generally the higher the temperature the lower the humidity. Burning in winds above 15 mph or humidity below 30% can be extremely dangerous. Be aware of the weather forecast. If a change in the weather is predicted, wind changes during the burn can create real problems. Schedule burning after predicted weather changes.

When the conditions of your prescription are met, gather the crew. Notify all those we discussed earlier. Before burning have a meeting with your fire crew. Each person should be in good health and be wearing cotton clothing, high top leather boots, leather gloves and a cap. Synthetic materials can get hot enough during a controlled burn to cause severe burns. Ashes can also easily burn through them. During the meeting establish who the fire boss is, who is responsible for watching which flanks, who is in charge of the spray tank in case of an escape and who is responsible for calling for help if needed. The fire boss is responsible for lighting the fire or instructing others to string fire. No fire should be started without the fire boss' approval.

Start in the downwind corner of the field and start a small fire to see how it behaves. Determine from that test fire if it is safe to proceed. If so, string a short line of fire along the fire break and check its behavior again. Continue if satisfied with the performance of the fire. String short lines of fire keeping a close eye for spot overs. When you complete the downwind backfire go back to the starting corner and begin to string fire along the flank, upwind. You can also have one of your crew string fire along the other flank at the same time. Proceed slowly to be sure the backfire is in control. Remember that as you work flank fires toward the upwind direction, they can become headfires. Be sure you have a sufficient blackline from the backfire before proceeding with the flank fires. Once you have blacklines on three sides of the field you can light the headfire.

Some managers opt not to light a headfire to allow an escape route for wildlife. Although in principle this makes sense, in reality very little wildlife escapes this route and just as many will run through the fire as not. Through my experience I have seen very little wildlife perish this way, yet I have seen a number of animals escape just as the burning is beginning.

After the fire make a thorough inspection around the perimeter and extinguish any smoldering material. Check the site again a few minutes later to be sure everything is out. It is a good idea to notify the authorities after you have completed your burn so that they don't dismiss any later occurring fires as your controlled burn. Your neighbors should be notified so that if anything rekindles they know help should be called.

This all sounds like a lot of work but when properly planned and implemented, a prescribed burn will go very quickly. A twenty acre field with good firelines and the right conditions can be burned in less than thirty minutes and costs next to nothing.

IMPORTANT NOTICE:
Prescribed burning may be regulated in some areas. Check local codes for any permits necessary. Agricultural burning is usually exempt from most open burning laws.