Ditch burning

Rain and cold (and maybe later a skiff of snow) is forecast starting Tuesday and for the rest of the week.   The weather today was mostly good for burning the ditches.  The wind was a little stronger than I would have liked.  The direction was from the south, southeast, and east.  The wind here is often variable in direction and speed.  South is perfect. SE and east are not ideal as the wind would blow the fire towards the hayfield.  This year I have harrowed the hayfield much more than usual thereby greatly reducing the opportunity for a fire to escape.

As I burn the ditches every year the fuel load is not heavy.

A long way to go.

Partially done.

A little while after I starting burning, the wind shifted from south to SE and east.  The fire now wanted to also burn into the hayfield.  Further from the fence the harrowing mixed dirt with grass.  But I didn't trust the fire.  Between the sun, wind and heat the fire was easily burning the grass.  And fire can grow exponentially.   So I knocked the fire out.    Then I raked a line along the fence removing dead grass.   When I started the fire again I burned along the raked line first further creating a barrier.  Then I went back and started the fire in the ditch.

Below is the only time the fire jumped the barrier.

Having burnt the south ditch I decided to try burning the north ditch.   This is trickier to burn as neighbor's place (and their tall grass) is closer and downwind from the fire.   And the pine trees near here drop needles and pine cones adding to the fuel load.   But I safely burned this ditch as I again raked a line and burnt a barrier.

So I have completed my burning for the year and can check that off my "to-do" list.


In the evening I noticed a long line of fire and a couple fire trucks in the field across the road from me.  The fire was across the field closer to the highway.  The fire was knocked down quite a bit by the time I thought of taking the following photo.