For reference, the Prescribed Burning Design Procedures includes different burn plan designs, such as burning for eastern redcedar control. Use before-and-after photos, seeding evaluations, and other methods to help evaluate whether prescribed burning met the desired objectives.Īll burn plans must include the land-management objective to be accomplished and the types and conditions of the vegetative matter to be burned on the land and in adjacent areas. For example, a short-term objective may be to remove 90% of the accumulated dead standing vegetation and ground thatch so that there is adequate bare ground to successfully interseed legumes. In the NRCS Conservation Planning process, objectives are described as desired future conditions, which are defined in quantitative and/or qualitative terms as the ecological, economic, and social conditions we want to reach, at some point in the future. That’s a reasonable short-term objective but it lacks clarifying details. In other words, why are you burning and what are you trying to accomplish with prescribed fire? A typical scenario is burning a grassland CRP field to satisfy mid-contract management requirements. People often ask “when is the best time to burn?” The answer depends on land management goals and objectives. Contact Pheasants Forever if you need assistance with a firebreak design or seed mix. In non-burn years, a simple legume planting of alfalfa and clovers provides attractive cover for pheasants, quail, and pollinators as well as green browse for deer and turkey. If you are worried about weeds or erosion, consider using green firebreaks. Sunflower, ragweed, croton and bare ground provide key habitat requirements for attracting mourning doves and quail. Disked firebreaks serve a dual purpose when planted to annual food plots or early-successional plants establish from the seed bank. Wildlife managers can also use firebreaks and burn rotation to strategically diversify the landscape while ensuring undisturbed vegetation is available for refuge and nesting cover. For example, a 50 to 60-foot firebreak would be appropriate for burning a stand of big bluestem or switchgrass. We recommend firebreaks that are ten times as wide. As a general rule, firebreaks need to be at least twice as wide as the height of adjacent vegetation. The minimum width of a firebreak depends on the fuel type you plan to burn.
Temporary firebreaks can be established by disking, haying, or mowing around a burn unit.
Permanent features such as roadways and rivers make excellent firebreaks.
Prescribed fire in Nebraska is regulated by the state legislature.