WhiteBlaze Pages 2024
A Complete Appalachian Trail Guidebook.
AVAILABLE NOW. $4 for interactive PDF(smartphone version)
Read more here WhiteBlaze Pages Store

Results 1 to 6 of 6
  1. #1
    Registered User
    Join Date
    07-11-2017
    Location
    Houston, TX
    Age
    62
    Posts
    166

    Default Prescribed burn incidents

    Hello all. I'm doing some background research for an article about the safety of prescribed burns with respect to hiking, backpacking, and other recreational activities. If you have experienced or are aware of any hiker/backpacker injuries, close calls, or other type of incidents that were caused by or related to a prescribed burn, please private message me here. Thanks very much.

  2. #2

    Default

    I once hiked through a prescribed burn area on the AT, just south of Erwin, TN which wasn't quite out yet. Walked past smoldering hillsides and occasional actual flames. That evening those of us at the shelter watched a line of smoldering leaves creep up the hill side towards the shelter. Thankfully, it never reached us, but we did take the precaution of raking as much of the dry leaves on the ground near the shelter as far away as we could. It was interesting and a little concerning, but never felt I was in any real danger.
    Follow slogoen on Instagram.

  3. #3

    Default

    Not aware of the AT situation, but finding out when the prescribed burn is about to take place is anything but easy. The OHT has a Far Out app & all of the trail info one would every want, but finding out when & where a burn is going to happen isn't easy.

    First time it happened was a surprise (my fault) but having good paper map allowed me to comfortably make a plan.

    Another year I called 3 different forest service offices before my inquiry was answered.

    The appearance change of the trees creates some minor challenges when hammock camping in burn areas the following year.

  4. #4

    Default

    I hike on National Grasslands here in Texas. Federal lands (like the AT) have multiple agencies managing them. I know the FS Volunteer for the grasslands I hike on, his ranch abuts the grasslands and he has the combinations for all the gates. So he was saying how the FS Controlled Burn people make a plan and tell the site manager about it, but sometimes they only get a few weeks notice. Talking with a Ranger at a Texas State Park, they said the same thing. When they get word of a burn, they have to drop everything to prepare. There is a complicated Go-No-Go list that the fire men have to follow. Moisture content in the brush, rains, winds. Last year the FS was to Control Burn something like 8000 acres where I hike. Due to conditions, they only got 3000 of it done and it took over a week. they had brush fire trucks from different departments and such. We do a sporting event on a part of it and we had already deployed some gear when we got the word! We had to go out and check all the gear after the burns. A week post burn, the prairie grasses were already sprouting! I will say that with the land management running controlled burns, plus they are running cattle now, the natural grasses are really taking off. Some of the plateaus which used to be just scrub grasses, are now knee-high in buffalo grass. Some of the minor trails we have mapped, are about vanishing due to the growth post-burns.

    Edit to add, I was hiking when the larger logs were still smouldering. My dog managed to roll in the soot and went from a nice light brown, to chimney sweep dog (he loved it).
    For a couple of bucks, get a weird haircut and waste your life away Bryan Adams....
    Hammock hangs are where you go into the woods to meet men you've only known on the internet so you can sit around a campfire to swap sewing tips and recipes. - sargevining on HF

  5. #5

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Slo-go'en View Post
    I once hiked through a prescribed burn area on the AT, just south of Erwin, TN which wasn't quite out yet. Walked past smoldering hillsides and occasional actual flames. That evening those of us at the shelter watched a line of smoldering leaves creep up the hill side towards the shelter. Thankfully, it never reached us, but we did take the precaution of raking as much of the dry leaves on the ground near the shelter as far away as we could. It was interesting and a little concerning, but never felt I was in any real danger.
    Depends on where the fire line was as to whether you were in danger or not. The shelter would not have been in the intended burn area. There may have been a natural break used as the fire line that you weren't aware of. Until it was dark, there would have been a lookout on the fire watching for smoke both within and outside the burn perimeter plus generally hand crew members are patrolling the line. Could have been aerial support too. At night the relative humidity will increase as the temperature drops which has a dampening effect on fire transmission as well.

    Of course, an ember could have floated over the line and it was certainly not a bad idea to clear the leaves around the shelter. What you really want to watch for is if the fire jumped up to the tree canopy. But there's no downed wood anywhere close to a shelter anyway.
    "Sleepy alligator in the noonday sun
    Sleepin by the river just like he usually done
    Call for his whisky
    He can call for his tea
    Call all he wanta but he can't call me..."
    Robert Hunter & Ron McKernan

    Whiteblaze.net User Agreement.

  6. #6

    Default

    Some years ago, in the mid 1990's I came upon two young men on the trail between Echo lake and S. Twin lake in August, who were "observing" a small smouldering spot. This was in Lassen Nat. Park. They were dressed in National Park uniforms, and said they were 'stationed' there to monitor the small patch of smoking under growth in case it spread. It had been initially ignited by lightening, but had not spread. I wonder if they are still out there? LOL

    Back at that time, the raging infernos we have now were very rare. Open fires were NOT allowed in Lassen National Park, and in fact I never had one in all my years of hiking up there, and never saw any evidence of one. It would bring a $280 fine, if you were caught, a $5 permit was required to over night out there, a there were roving park rangers to enforce the rules.

++ New Posts ++

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •