Prescribed Burn Of Detention Basin
Have you ever wondered about the logistics of prescribed burning? Tallgrass Restoration, LLC took several videos of a prescribed burn we completed in the fall of 2024 in Cook County, IL to illustrate how technical the on-site process is but there are even more steps that take place behind the scenes.
In the days leading up to the burn, the Prescribed Burn Manager evaluates the expected weather conditions to select the jobsite that will fall under the precise conditions laid out in the prescription burn plan they drafted. Each site has its own prescription for weather conditions, but for this location the weather conditions need to be above freezing, with wind between 5 and 20 mph from the southwest, south, southeast, or east. Relative humidity above 40% and below 70% are also optimal for most sites. There are a few other factors that we look at, but those listed above are the ones most likely to determine if a day is good or bad for burning.
Once the crew arrives at the jobsite, they first walk the site with mowers and rakes to ensure that any obstacles, sensitive vegetation, and structures (signs, sprinkler systems, fencing) are protected from the fire. Once the area has been prepared, a quick meeting is held with the Prescribed Burn Manager to communicate the plan for the burn and to assign crew members to different tasks. The crew also takes this time to ensure all equipment/machinery is in good working order and to call the authorities from our phone list to advise them of our imminent burn.
This burn started by first back burning (allowing the fire to back into the wind slowly) the berms and slopes on the downwind sides of the unit. This process is often the slowest part of the burn because we are making sure the fire is controlled and all objects with breaks around them are protected. Once those areas were sufficiently black (burned), smaller strips of fire using the wind are lit to help more quickly widen the burned area. Once ample burned area was achieved to protect the downwind side of the unit, the remaining area was ringed to allow a head fire burn using the wind to push it more quickly through the remaining vegetation.
Once the fire is out, we walk the unit to make sure nothing is actively burning or poses a hazard. Once the site is considered out and contained, the authorities are again called so that they know we are leaving the site. A post burn report is written up by the Prescribed Burn Manager and provided to the client if requested.
As evident in the time-lapse video above, the burn often starts out very slow as we work around obstacles and ensure the downwind areas are secure. Once the burn crew moves to the upwind side of the unit, the burn proceeds much more quickly.
To learn more about controlled burns and how we might be able to assist with your property, contact us today.