FOR-14 DEBRIS BURNING AND FOREST FIRES

From: Subject: FOR-14 DEBRIS BURNING AND FOREST FIRES Date: Thu, 3 Jun 2010 13:27:06 -0400 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Location: http://www.ca.uky.edu/agc/pubs/for/for14/for14.htm X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2900.5931 FOR-14 DEBRIS BURNING AND FOREST FIRES FOR-14
DEBRIS BURNING AND FOREST FIRES =
ISSUED: 2-84=20
REVISED:
Douglas J. McLaren, Department of Forestry, University = of=20 Kentucky=20

The leading cause of = wildfires in=20 Kentucky is unsafe debris burning--fires accidentally escaping from = burning=20 garbage, trash or plant materials. Annually, an estimated one out of = every 75=20 Kentucky woodland owners face fire on their property. Kentucky has = averaged over=20 2,000 forest fires each year for the past 35 years with an estimated = 80,000=20 acres burned annually.
The = critical=20 effect of these fires is the decline in timber quality due to fire = damage. The=20 damaged trees fall prey to insects and disease that gain entrance = through fire=20 scars. Quality losses from these fires average 60 percent of the = timber's value=20 and may run as high as 75 percent.=20

Spring Fires
Approximately 75 percent=20 of Kentucky's forest fires occur in the spring, Many of these spring = fires are=20 started by landowners to clear their fields or garden plots. Planting = areas not=20 properly prepared the previous fall present problems in the spring with = dry,=20 standing corn stalks, weeds and other debris that interfere with = cultivation. A=20 common solution is to burn the debris.
Besides creating a fire hazard, burning this plant = material=20 destroys organic matter that is valuable to crops. If left undisturbed, = this=20 organic matter would:
1.Help = bind soil=20 particles together, forming air spaces between particles which improve = water=20 drainage through the soil;
2.Act like a=20 sponge to improve the water-holding capacity of excessively drained = soils and=20 aeration of poorly drained soils;
3.Release nutrients which would feed crop plants; =
4.Help sustain soil organisms which = contribute to=20 healthy plant biochemical processes in the soil.=20

Residue Management
It is = possible to=20 avoid burning when managing crop residue. At the end of the fall = harvesting=20 season, use a lawn mower on small garden plots to shred the debris and = bring it=20 in contact with the soil. You can also rake and compost the material. = Use a=20 tiller on small gardens and disk larger fields to help incorporate = materials=20 into the soil for better decomposition, Sowing a cover crop which will = be=20 incorporated into the soil in the spring will prevent serious soil loss. =
Corn stalks, if cut in the = late fall to=20 make contact with the soil, will incorporate easily into the soil the = following=20 spring. They can also be piled for compost.
With proper maintenance in the fall, you can = drastically=20 reduce springtime debris burning. This reduction could prevent numerous = forest=20 fires, help ensure the existing quality of our timberlands, and actually = improve=20 the quality of our croplands.