Today was an awesome day. The sun was shining, the weather was mild, and I had my first experience starting a forest on fire. I know, I know... Smokey Bear said that only I can
Prevent forest fires. But guess what, kids. Smokey was a little overzealous in his fire-prevention campaign. Forests are adapted to fire. It returns nutrients to the soil, clears undesired species, and prevents and even larger fuel load from accumulating. The lab where I now work studies these adaptations, and I'm sitting in on my boss's Fire Behavior class.
Today was our first burn at Austin Cary Memorial Forest, a teaching forest near Gainesville. The fire started with a test spot near the corner and a go-ahead to ignite the perimeter. I watched the flames slowly char the grasses near the road and smolder inward. I expected something much more spectacular, but this plot is burned annually and I figured there weren't as many fuels. Working around the corner along the south border we started a flanking fire running parallel with the wind. Still, the plot burned slowly. Then, the wind shifted direction and the fire roared towards the center of the block. The flames intensified, gallberry shrubs crackled as they burned, and even the papery bark of a few longleaf pines glowed a bright orange. Standing forty feet away, I could feel the heat radiating from the head fire.
For a closeted pyro like me, It was an exciting day. I even got a turn with the drip torch to ignite the head fire. Needless to say, I came home smelling like a chimney. I hope I didn't offend anyone sitting near me at the PEERs meeting! (But that's another story for another day.) Below are a few pictures from the burn.
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| We have ignition! |
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| Creeping towards the palmettos |
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| Head fire flares just as the wind shifts |
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| Flames swirl around the base of a Longleaf pine |
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| The burn progresses along the fire break |
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