Burning a Ring of Fire

Every other now and then life requires the extraordinary out of us...Like when you need to burn a field full of weeds. So here's some free advice on how to do just that.

 

*Notice this is not a timely post as you should do this in the spring.

 

Dress appropriately. I used my Master C Snowboots, because they have rubber soles so they're not flammable...I think...

The list of tools required is surprisingly short and primitive. You need a rake to spread the fire where you want it to go and a shovel to smother it in places you don't want it.

 

You will also need a waterhose and fill a weed sprayer with water to wet any trees you want to keep and along the path you want the fire to stop at. A great tip would be to mow around the area you want to burn, so you remember where you want to burn.

 

It also gives you a walking path for your fire team. Also good to have a path for the water hose, just in case it gets out of control. I mean we are talking about controlling one of the most powerful natural forces on earth.

To get it started, you spread it against the wind (just like the song) not with it (recipe for disaster).

Here is a visual example of how to spread the flames using the rake. Dry grass is gathered into the rake. The rake is put into the flames briefly, then the burning grass remaining on the rake is dropped onto the grass about a foot in front of the current line of fire.

Thus leading the fire where you want it to go.

 

Go Fire Go!

Whoa, fire whoa....When it reaches 1/2 across the field you are burning, you start the fire on the side with the wind and the fires meet in the middle at the speed of...fire.

We did use the hose. We did use the shovel for lots of smothering and for a field mouse. SMACK! Oh, yuck. We got 'em.

The field burning crew minus 2.

The product of our success. It looks better when the green grass starts growing on the black soil.