Habitat Burns

Miforester

Well-known member
Crews have been in both SE and SW Michigan the past few weeks doing habitat burns for pheasant cover. More crews are down there this coming week too. I have attached some photos from the burns I was on in SW Michigan. Reports from the crews more bird were seen in SE Michigan.
 
It should go on for the rest of this month and possibly parts of May. Generally one team in SE and one in SW. Such a great tool to manage habitat.
 
Thanks UGUIDE, fire is such a great tool. Amazing how our habitat changed once we started suppressing fire on the landscape. But you are right fire is a nasty four letter word that scares a lot of people.

Just returned from burning just shy of 600 acres in northern Michigan, not pheasant habitat but our grouse and woodcock will like it. Hope the spring out there is going well and conducive to good nesting.
 
Was up there this weekend. Seen and heard the fewest turkeys in a long time. They have been burning fields the last 3 years. Sometimes too late. Found a field on sat that was recently burnt. Found a burned up turkey nest eggs were charred, now I know why I have seen less turkeys every year. Plus they have a major coon problem in that area.
 
Tom, what species of grass we talking in these burns? Looked pretty flat before it burned. Are the vortecs indicating unstable conditions during the burns? Couldn't tell from the pics if they might have been 2 fire lines coming together or instability. Keep after it!
 
Troy, the fire vortices were from unstable conditions and on that particular burn a spot fire was created. Always makes for a good show, the night burns had some really good ones reach 20-30 ft in the air. Grasses were of the warm season mix and to be honest I really didn't look to see what specific species. Yes the snow had laid all the fields we did down. Primary goal was to restore/invigorate warm season grasses and remove invasives. One field was a newly acquired piece of ground and we burned to see just was would come back and then wildlife division would develop a management plan around what they see or don't see.
 
Yeah, on our last fire, weather boys called for a 34% low on the humidity. It got to 26 and got a little iffy. I sent the new help out in the green wheat to watch for spot overs. He busied himself watching the 25 foot cedar row go up. I finished lighting the last headfire and drove over to him. Asked if he was watching it. He said, Oh yeah! I said look behind you! It had spotted over some 150 yards and was 80 yards behind him. He about exploded. No biggee! I had it disked around and we burned it too! Put BWWMA into youtube and you can see those cedars go up! 3 videos there of my burns. Watch fast, they are about 6 seconds long.
 
yeah those cedar rows go very fast nothing like adding gas to a fire. I don't think people understand just how far and easily fires can spot then you have that much heat trying brands into the air. When our jack pine fires get rolling it is not uncommon for them to spot up to a quarter mile away.

Our weather people here have been horrible with their predictions. I wish I had a job where my accuracy could be 50%! I don't count on them very much it is just look out the window and see what is going on. I think our fire season is pretty much over with all the moisture we have received and are predicted to receive. This could be one of the shortest season I've had yet.
 
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