Ok, a few more photos from the spring burn season. Click on the first photo to open up the gallery viewer, which will show the captions.
We are almost done, and have totaled 30 acres so far. Last year we managed 20 acres during the fall-spring dormant season.
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- This cattail burn on Union and 9C didn’t do so great… but that experience helps us understand which climatic conditions are optimal for this parcel.
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- Tire tracks from getting stuck. Will be interesting to see if we unearthed some new species in the “seed bank” (the collection of seeds in the soil)
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- As much as we prepare, sometimes we all need a little help getting unstuck.
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- The yin and yang… burned and unburned
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- backyard prairie patch with bluebird nest
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- We recent burned off my daughter’s backyard prairie with some friends.
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- removal of last year’s thatch reveal vole runs at the soil surface (voles are small mammals, this was probably a Meadow Vole)
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- a small area with wide concrete patches was a great place for training on fire behavior
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- Moontree wetland burn
Here’s an admittedly poor video from my smartphone, showing a burn in the wetland just SE of Moontree. If you look closely at the swaying cat-tail on the right, you’ll notice it’s smoking. Sure looks like a hot dog over a campfire!
The burn was patchy, burning here and not there as topography, vegetation, water levels, and wind all combined. That’s fine, as it allows for insects and animals to have spots of refuge, and creates microhabitat that are needed for biodiversity.
(I haven’t forgotten about Part 2 of the flood story. Will get there eventually… spring is busy!)