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Brush piles a problem?

3K views 15 replies 15 participants last post by  Tractor-Holic 
#1 ·
Thought I'd share a few pics from the annual spring burn.



Pampas grass, you might as well light napalm.



The 2305 and some of the severe pruning on the older trees.



The start.





The neighbors pile, this was huge.





I don't think the walnut behind this is going to make it.

 
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#4 ·
Here in the enlightened state of NY we now must wait until May 15 to burn. You know, when all the grass, woods floors, marshes, and leaves are at their dryest and it's so hot out that you near perish feeding the barrel... and you may NOT burn in the cool winter when the snow is on the ground or it's raining because...?

I've got the largest accumulation of wood processing and winterkill downage in a few years sitting in an ugly pile waiting for the Fire Barrel Fairy to take it away next month. I'd love to do mine all in one big stack like that!!!:)
 
#13 ·
Here in the enlightened state of NY we now must wait until May 15 to burn.
Harold, here in the people's republic of Ma, we can burn Jan15 - May 1

one of the state's do and don'ts list this;

"Prevent Wildfires by Burning During Wet Snowy Conditions
Prevent permit fires from becoming wild land fires by burning early in the season. Wet and snowy winter conditions hinder the rapid spread of fire on or under the ground. Weather conditions and increased fire danger may lead to many days when burning cannot be allowed to take place."
 
#6 ·
I have two piles I may not be able to burn until Sept. or so from what the weather man predicts. We're under a burn ban as we haven't had but 4/10 inch of rain and 2 inches of snow since the end of last Sept. In the last month and a half there has been 1.75 million acres burned from wild fires here in Texas. You boys up north need to send us some rain or do a rain dance for us.
 
#9 ·
can't imagine not being "allowed" to burn brush on your property. Makes more sense with snow on ground. yeah, thats brilliant gotta wait till mid may,gettin dry and breezy till then.
I prefer to burn while it's actually raining, no such thing as to wet to burn as far as i'm concerned. Livin a the woods edge I'm a Little paranoid about burnin down the woods or the shed.
 
#10 ·
I haven't burned in a long time. I have woods that are just that woods. I make big piles of brush in the woods. It's amazing how much small wildlife uses this for housing. Especially after the 1st year when a groundhog will make some burrows under the piles. Then after they move out the burrows get used by foxes and all sorts of critters. The piles disappear on their own at a pretty surprising rate. I tend to reuse the same locations for the piles. Can't see them normally from the house and they do what brush is supposed to do. Break down and rejuvenate the soil. I do understand that this is not an option for many homeowners.

Our local land fill many years ago to save space started a mulch program. They take brush and yard waste for free and grind it up. Then you can take all the mulch you can haul for free. When my trees (several hundred planted seedlings) were small I took great advantage of this bringing home many truck loads of mulch for the trees. Sure saved a lot of watering in the dry years. Open burning outside of a barrel is not exactly encouraged here either these days.
 
#11 ·
I haven't burned in a long time. I have woods that are just that woods. I make big piles of brush in the woods. It's amazing how much small wildlife uses this for housing. Especially after the 1st year when a groundhog will make some burrows under the piles. Then after they move out the burrows get used by foxes and all sorts of critters. The piles disappear on their own at a pretty surprising rate. I tend to reuse the same locations for the piles. Can't see them normally from the house and they do what brush is supposed to do. Break down and rejuvenate the soil. I do understand that this is not an option for many homeowners.

.

:ditto:
 
#12 ·
Ken wrote:
No burning allowed here, unless you get a burn permit !!
And they don't give them out freely.
Well, up until last year this is the way it used to work nicely and smoothly for unpteen years. We'd go to Town Hall and be issued a burning permit good for one year... free. When you wanted to burn you would call down to the firehouse and let them know the details, and if there was no burning ban on they would tell you to go ahead. Simple. Effective. If a neighbor reported "smoke" in a neighborhood only one fire officer needed to check it out and he pretty well knew what it was already.

So... Last year, new "Rules" in place (homeowner no longer needs to notify anyone) a person called in a "I smell smoke" report. A total of eleven (11) fire vehicles from 4 stations in two separate departments responded putting I don't know how many firefighters on the rigs and volunteers in their own vehicles at risk in traffic... It was a brush barrel with a citizen in attendance WITH a garden hose. So, what was "saved" by the new ruling? Some "air quality" issue? Certainly not manpower coordination. Definitly not saving precious greehhouse gasses...

To me it's just another "I'm tellin' YOU what to do and youse better do it!" beaurocratic heavy handed control issue. BTW, you CAN NOT burn Fall leaves, nossir not a leaf not even in a barrel. Only leaves if they GREEN leaves and they must be attached to branches smaller than 4"... I just dunno anymore.

Like other posters I like a nice drizzly day to operate my "Super High Temp Ferrous Brush Combustion System Vessel". I can feed it faster than most low-mid priced chippers when it's at full speed.:)
 
#14 ·
Here in my county we can apply in person or via phone for a free burn permit (county only and not in the big city) and it's good for 30 days. You have to call a number that has a daily recording that'll tell you whether the day is good for burning or not.
They also send you a hard copy of the permit via snail mail.

I don't build huge burn piles anymore. I enjoy the sounds and smells of an open fire and like to have seasonal bon fires but I keep them all manageable now, so I can enjoy them.

HH, most gov's are overly reactionary. Unfortunately it only takes one idiot to ruin it for the vast majority of common sense having folks.
Our votes mean so much more now, use them wisely.....
Dave
 
#15 ·
Here in Austira we have a similar situation. Only Easter fires are permited. You can get a free permit then and have to inform the fire department. My FIL's hedge, approx. 60 yards in length, died, after 40 years, last year. It was such a mess and we were getting ready to get a permit but then a friend pulled up with a truck and said others had called him if he didn't have stuff for a easter fire. So off he went and we didn't have to worry about having a fire close to home.

7
 
#16 ·
I have to get a (free) burn permit from the FD here,then call a recorded phone number and listen to the message,that tells you if its OK to burn that day--so far I have only got one pile burned,its just been too *** windy or rainy ,it rained about every other day since the snow melted here,so it appears I'll be S-O-L as far as getting rid of my brush before the May 1st deadline Sunday--unless they decide to extend the burn season,which I doubt,though many residents are hoping they will,due to them not being able to get the brush ready ,because of deep snows that took a long time to melt,then the unsuitable conditions since then have prevented them from getting it done...

I used to have a giant wood stove I made from a 275 gal oil tank,I put it on wheels so I could pull it around the yard..I could incinerate huge piles of brush (and trash) with it,and I wish I still had it--I eventually warped it so badly when I put a few lawn tractor tires in it and used a squirrel cage blower as a "turbo" to realy get things roasting in it--with the added air I could burn a small tire with NO smoke or stinky burnt rubber smell..
I didn't burm much "illegal" items in it like tires,but it was handy for disposing of old wood and other things the FD frowns upon you burning in an open fire...

Here your suppopsed to have water hoses handy and make the piles small,nothing bigger than 3-4" in diameter,NO LEAVES,grass,or "scrap wood" from buildings,etc..but every year my next door neighbor makes a pile the size of a box truck and puts pine trees with 8" trunks in the pile--so far no officials have stopped him from burning them,and I would think they would--his piles are in plain veiw of the street,and he burns only 30 feet from the deep woods behind our homes..every year I cringe when I see him torch up the pile,hoping it wont spread to our homes or woods--he managed to burn about 100 feet of his lkawn towards his house AND ours this year--good thing it didn't get to our yard!...glad he's done for the year..

I liked our old hometown in central MA,growing up there as a kid,my dad always had a "incinerator" made from a 55 gallon drum in the backyard,open burning was allowed year round,with certain restrictions...he always said it was a mistake to ban burning your own trash,and at the town dumps,that it would lead to the landfills being filled far too soon,and that we'd soon have to PAY to dispose of our trash...he was right,now getting rid of ANYTHING is a big expense--its all about the money...

Its pouring out here again today,so another "burn day" goes wasted!..:(
 
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