Soil Conservation Service s3

394 - 1 Purpose for revision – The term “pollinator” was added to the planning NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION SERVICE consideration that discusses wildlife. Several CONSERVATION PRACTICE STANDARD additional Okla. wording edits and additions were FIREBREAK also made. Edits are highlighted in yellow. (Ft.)

CODE 394

DEFINITION Location A permanent or temporary strip of bare or Firebreaks shall be located: vegetated land planned to retard fire.  Parallel to public roads, railroads, and adjacent to field boundaries. PURPOSE  Along property boundaries, within burn  Reduce the spread of wildfire. units or within fields where it is determined necessary to protect areas  Contain prescribed burns. that are not to be burned.  Where possible the firebreaks shall be CONDITIONS WHERE PRACTICE APPLIES connected to natural barriers such as This practice applies on all land uses where cultivated fields, streams, rock bluffs, protection from wildfire is needed or prescribed or roads. burning is applied.  To protect farmsteads or other structures by surrounding them at a CRITERIA safe distance. General Criteria Applicable to All Purposes Width Firebreaks may be temporary or permanent The total width of the firebreak is based on the and shall consist of fire-resistant vegetation, type of fuel to be burned and the location in non-flammable materials, blackened (burned) relation to the area to be burned. areas, bare ground, or a combination of these. Combinations of firebreak types can be used Firebreaks will be of sufficient width and length to establish the total firebreak width (e.g. 10’ to contain the expected fire. bare ground firebreak + 290’ blackline firebreak = 300’ minimum width). Firebreaks shall be located to minimize risk to the resources being protected. The following minimum firebreak widths shall be established along the edges of the burn Erosion control measures shall be installed to unit: prevent sediment from leaving the site, when applicable.  Downwind edge - 100 feet wide, when fuel consists of non-volatile Plant species selected for vegetated firebreaks herbaceous vegetation and 500 feet will be noninvasive and capable of retarding wide when volatile fuels such as fire. juniper are on-site. The landowner shall comply with applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations, during the installation, operation and maintenance of this practice.

Conservation practice standards are reviewed periodically, and updated if needed. To obtain the current version of this standard, contact the Natural Resources Conservation Service State NRCS, OK Office, or visit the Field Office Technical Guide. December 2011 394 - 2

 Downwind flank edge – 100 feet wide, Slopes 10% and greater will have water bars when fuel consists of non-volatile constructed. (Refer to: Forestry Extension herbaceous vegetation and 300 feet Report #5, Best Management Practices for wide when volatile fuels such a juniper Forest Road Construction and Harvesting are on-site. Operations in Oklahoma.)  Upwind flank edge – 10 feet wide and 100 feet wide when volatile fuels such Blackline (Burned) Firebreaks as juniper are on-site. Blackline firebreaks are installed only when  Upwind edge – 10 feet wide. used in combination with other types of Types of Firebreaks firebreaks to meet the minimum total width requirement. There are 5 basic types of firebreaks: Natural, Bare Ground, Blackline (burned), Vegetated Blackline firebreaks can be installed by and Mowed Wet-line. The type selected will constructing two 10 foot wide parallel strips to be determined by the specific site conditions, mineral soil, around the area to be burned due to the variability of vegetation types, (Refer to Oklahoma NRCS Job Sheet JS 394 topography, and soil conditions. 01). The two parallel strips shall be approximately 100 feet apart on grasslands Natural Firebreaks and up to 500 feet apart when volatile fuels are Existing terrain features such as streams, to be burned. Remove flammable material, lakes, ponds, rock outcrops, roads, field such as logs, limbs, standing or downed borders, skid trails, landings, drainage canals, juniper, or discarded fence posts from the area railroads, utility right-of-ways, cultivated land, between the strips. Burn the area between or other areas devoid of flammable material the strips to complete the firebreak. can serve as a firebreak as long as the Blackline firebreaks shall be installed using minimum width requirements are met. guidance found in the Oklahoma NRCS Bare Ground (constructed) Firebreaks Prescribed Burning (338) standard and/or with the assistance of the Oklahoma Forestry Disks, graders, plows, or bulldozers can be Services Division. used to create bare ground firebreaks. All flammable material will be removed (placed Vegetated Firebreaks outside the burn unit) or covered with soil by Vegetated firebreaks are constructed machinery. It shall be constructed before the firebreaks which are established to a non- fire hazard season or prior to the prescribed flammable perennial or annual cool season burn, and fashioned so that it can be traversed plants to reduce future maintenance costs, by fire suppression vehicles. prevent soil erosion, and provide wildlife food. Heavy equipment such as a bulldozer will be Establish vegetation within the entire minimum required in rocky areas, creek crossings, steep firebreak width if the vegetated firebreak is the slopes and to remove thick brush or large only means of fire protection. trees. Debris will be stacked outside the planned burn unit, stacked inside the burn until Vegetated firebreaks will be established well past the minimum firebreak width or according to the Oklahoma NRCS Critical Area stacked and burned prior to the prescribed Planting (342) and/or Cover Crop (340) burn when the surrounding fuel source is too standard. green or wet to burn. Fertilizer will be applied according to the The width of the bare ground firebreaks shall Oklahoma NRCS Nutrient Management (590) be a minimum of 10 feet. Other firebreak standard. types can be used in combination with bare Mowed Wet-Line ground firebreaks to establish the minimum total width required. Mowed firebreaks using wet-lines can be used as long as adequate personnel, equipment,

NRCS, NHCP June, 1994 394 - 3 and water supply areas are available to safely threatened and endangered species, natural conduct the procedure. areas, riparian areas and wetlands. Mowed firebreaks shall be a minimum of 10 feet wide or 10 times the height of the PLANS AND SPECIFICATIONS flammable vegetation in the area to be burned. The mowing height shall be approximately 4 Specifications for applying this practice shall inches or less. Piles of grass shall be removed be prepared for each site and recorded using by raking or baling. approved specification sheets, job sheets, technical notes, and narrative statements in Water will be sprayed on the mowed firebreak the conservation plan and the burn plan, or to create a wet-line immediately in advance of other acceptable documentation. In the ignition of the fire. Fire creeping across the prescribed burn plan record location, type, mowed firebreak shall be immediately dimensions, equipment requirements, and extinguished before the ignition crew proceeds maintenance of firebreak down the mowed firebreak. Burned firebreaks can be used in combination OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE with mowed wet-line firebreaks to create the total minimum firebreak width. Mow, disk, or graze vegetative firebreaks to avoid a build-up of excess litter. Treatment Mowed wet-line firebreaks can provide a firm should be timed to reduce impacts to ground surface for equipment but can be quite time nesting birds, when possible. consuming and less predictable, therefore it is not the preferred method. However, mowed Inspect all firebreaks for woody materials such wet-line firebreaks can be feasible alternatives as dead limbs or blown down trees and on steep slopes to reduce erosion potential. remove them from the firebreak. Inspect firebreaks at least annually and rework bare ground firebreaks as necessary to keep CONSIDERATIONS them clear of flammable vegetation. When using natural barriers, consider the Repair erosion control measures as necessary effects on wildlife and fisheries and the crew’s to ensure proper function. ability to cross them if the fire escapes. Access by vehicles or people should be Electric lines can be hazardous in heavy controlled, when necessary, to prevent smoke as they may conduct electricity to the damage to the firebreak. ground, therefore use caution when burning near them. Bare ground firebreaks, which are no longer needed, will be stabilized. Attempt to locate firebreaks near ridge crests and valley bottoms to reduce fire intensity. REFERENCES If winds are predictable, firebreaks should be located perpendicular to the wind and on the OSU Cooperative Extension Service Circular E upwind side of the area to be protected. 927, "Using Prescribed Fire in Oklahoma". Consider using diverse plant species A Guide for Prescribed Fire in Southern combinations, on vegetated firebreaks, which Forests. USDA Forest Service, Southern best meet locally native wildlife and pollinator Region. Technical Publication R8-TP 11, needs. February 1989. Locate firebreaks on the contour where practical to minimize risk of soil erosion. Design and layout should include multiple uses such as roads, food plots, etc. Consider the beneficial and other effects of firebreak installation on cultural resources and

NRCS, NHCP June, 1994