WASTE TREATMENT LAGOON (No.) s1

Field Office Technical Guide Section IV

Natural Resources Conservation Service Conservation Practice Standard

PRESCRIBED BURNING (Ac.) CODE 338

 Effects on the visual quality of downstream DEFINITION water resources.  Effects on wetlands or water-related wildlife Applying fire to predetermined areas under habitats. conditions that the intensity and spread of the fire are controlled. PLANS AND SPECIFICATIONS

PURPOSE Specifications are set forth for each vegetative type (forest stand) that may need to be  Control undesirable vegetation. prescribed burned and for each specific purpose  Prepare sites for planting or seeding. that the burn is to accomplish. Vegetative types  Control plant disease. are based on the same factors which determine  Reduce fire hazards. plant communities and their descriptions,  Improve wildlife habitat, forage production, namely plant species, size classes, and and forage quality. stocking. The more common types (stands)  Facilitate distribution of grazing and encountered in Mississippi are listed and briefly browsing animals. described below.

CONDITIONS WHERE PRACTICE APPLIES Prescribed Burning by Vegetative Types (Forest Stands) On woodland, rangeland, native pasture, wildlife areas, or native hay meadows. 1. Mature pine type, medium to well stocked, with more than 50 square feet of pine basal CONSIDERATIONS area per acre; hardwood and brush understory of at least medium density, having Water quantity the potential of preventing natural regeneration of pine or suppressing such  Effects the water budget, especially on regeneration following harvesting operations. runoff, infiltration, evapotranspiration percolation, and ground water recharge. Objectives. Control or reduction of encroaching hardwoods, preparation of area  Effects of the change in organic matter on for harvest cutting, and preparation of the soil water holding capacity. seedbed for natural regeneration.  Effects on downstream flows or aquifers that would affect on other water uses and users. Procedures. A winter backfire should be used to reduce initial fuel mass, followed by Water quality two or more annual or biennial spring or summer burns, if needed. Winter burn  Effects of the change in vegetation on the should be done 1 to 3 days after passage of movement of sediment and dissolved and a cold front which has brought ½ to 1 inch of sediment-attached materials. rain and is followed by a cold air mass.  Effects on erosion and the movement of Humidity should be no lower than 40 percent. sediment, pathogens, and soluble and Air temperature should be 40 degrees sediment-attached substances carried by Fahrenheit or lower. Wind direction should runoff. be northerly or northwesterly, with a velocity  of 2 to 10 miles per hour and steady.

Conservation practice standards are reviewed periodically and updated if needed. To obtain the current version of this standard, contact the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

NRCS, Mississippi January 2000 338-2

Prescribed fires should be set in the of pine basal area, with hardwood morning as soon as the top layer of duff is understory light to heavy. dry enough to support a low, steady, creeping backfire (usually around 10 a.m. Objectives. Reduction of fire hazards or later). A burning permit should be (fuel) and control or reduction of obtained and adjoining property owners competing hardwoods. and the Mississippi Forestry Commission (MFC) County Forester’s office notified of Procedures. The same burning technique intention to burn. The MFC County as specified for mature pine should be Forester should be enlisted in planning used. The initial burn may adequately prescribed burns, plowing the necessary control hardwoods and in such cases no base lines, and actually carrying out the annual follow-up burns will be needed. In burn. young pine stands with heavy grass growth on the forest floor and pine The weather should be checked before needles draped on tree branches, the starting to burn and periodically initial burn may be made at night when throughout the day. Changing conditions, surface fuels are not as dry as in daytime mainly wind should be noted and and when air temperatures are lower. In preparations made to change burning such cases, the risk of an unduly high techniques or plow out the fire if an scorch line is minimized. Following the emergency arises. The area should be initial burn, follow-up burns should be burned so that the wind will carry smoke scheduled every 3 to 4 years to reduce away from sensitive areas such as rough and control unwanted hardwoods. hospitals, schools, and residential areas. Other conditions and precautionary measures are the same as those specified 2. Mixed pine-hardwood stands, medium to for mature pine. sparsely stocked, with less than 50 square feet of pine basal area per acre, mainly of 4. Young pine stands, less than 15 years old, sawtimber size, with soil and site well densely stocked with 600 or more stems suited for conversion to pure pine. per acre, with dense grass and weed growth and heavy accumulation of pine Objectives. Conversion of stand to pure needles and cured herbage on the forest pine; control or reduction of competing floor. hardwoods; preparation of site for tree planting, direct seeding or natural seeding. Objectives. Reduction of fire hazards (rough reduction). Procedures. The same burning techniques as specified for mature pine Procedures. A winter backfire should be type should be used. However, in mixed used just after a cold front passage when pine-hardwood stands, the hardwoods are air temperature is below 40 degrees usually of poletimber to sawtimber size, Fahrenheit; wind is steady, northerly, and (5 inches DBH and larger). Hardwoods 2 to 10 miles per hour in velocity; humidity 3 inches and larger are rarely killed by fire is 50 to 60 percent and moisture of the alone. Two or more annual summer burns litter layer is 25 to 30 percent. Flame following the initial burn might be needed height should not be more than 3 feet. or the unwanted hardwoods could be Interior plowed lines should be about 400 controlled by applying an approved to 700 feet apart. The prescribed burn herbicide. Refer to Woodland should “back burn” against the direction of Improvement (666). Conditions of rainfall the wind at a rate of 60 to 100 feet per and soil moisture, humidity, air hour. After the initial burn, follow-up burns temperature, wind direction and velocity should be scheduled every 3 to 4 years, as specified for mature pine apply also to depending on fuel accumulation and mixed pine-hardwood. The same presence of competing hardwoods. precautionary measures should be applied. The same precautionary measures as for mature pine stands should be taken. 3. Immature pine stands, 15 to 40 years old, Under no circumstances should the initial well stocked with 70 square feet or more

prescribed burn be applied to stands in will be less than those killed by a poorly which the trees are less than 15 feet in timed strip headfire or running headfire. height. 6. Pine stand, usually planted and 5. Young longleaf pine seedling stand in occasionally natural, age 10 to 30 years, grass-stage, usually natural but possibly usually loblolly pine and less commonly planted, 2 to 10 years old, and when more shortleaf, longleaf, and slash pines, than 30 percent of the seedlings are growing on old fields with sandy soils and infected with brown-spot needle blight. soils low in organic matter, where thinning or some other form of cutting has been Objectives. Primarily to scorch infected done, and trees are susceptible to root rot needles and kill the causative fungus. caused by the fungus, Fomes annosus. Also, to remove cured grasses, pine needles and other vegetation that have a Objectives. To destroy the causal fungus smothering and competing effect on the and prevent spread of root rot. Other longleaf pine seedlings. Prescribed benefits include fuel reduction, burning releases the seedlings, whereas, improvement of wildlife habitat and without it, they might remain in the grass livestock forage, and control of unwanted stage and fail to make height growth for up hardwoods. to 12 years. Other benefits include reduction of rough, improvement of wildlife Procedures. The same burning technique habitat and livestock forage, and control of as specified for young pine stands should undesirable vegetation or unwanted be used. Follow-up prescribed burns hardwoods. should be scheduled if infections by Fomes annosus, as evidenced by Procedures. Burn should be done during appearance of fruiting bodies on stumps of winter months when longleaf pine buds cut trees and at bases of standing trees, are dormant and within 1 to 2 days recur following thinning and other cutting following a rain of 1 to 2 inches when air operations. Even though new infections temperatures fall to 40 degrees Fahrenheit are not widespread, the follow-up burns or below, relative humidity is 30 to 60 will reduce the rough and result in other percent, and winds are northerly, 3 to 10 benefits. The same precautionary miles per hour and steady. A strip measures as for mature pine should be headfire or running headfire should be taken. used. The object is to get a fast-moving fire that will scorch infected needles 7. Pine, shrub, grass type, with loblolly, without injuring terminal buds of seedlings. shortleaf, longleaf and slash pine species Large areas, preferably 200 acres or the dominant vegetation; may be planted more, should be burned to discourage or of natural origin, of variable age and reinfection from the unburned areas. the density, and usually of poletimber and burn should be repeated 2 years later if sawtimber sizes, with associated shrub, most of the seedlings still have not started grass and forb components suitable for height growth and one-third or more of the browsing and grazing by deer and cattle. needles again have brown-spot. Objectives. To burn accumulated rough The same precautionary measures as for (cured grasses, dried leaves and pine mature pine should be taken. Burning needles); to reduce the smothering effect areas in which over 60 percent of the of cured vegetation and encourage early seedlings have begun to make height “green-up” of forage plants, improve growth and terminal buds are 4 to 12 succulence and palatability of grasses, inches above the ground should be herbs and shrubs; to increase protein, avoided. The terminal buds of such phosphorus and calcium content of the seedlings are usually killed since they are new growth and overall yield and quality of at levels where the fires are the hottest. In herbage, legumes and browse. See such cases, the prescribed burn should be Proper Woodland Grazing (530). delayed until seedlings have grown above Prescribed burning improves wildlife 12 inches and are no longer subject to habitat for deer, turkey, quail, and rabbit. lethal temperatures. The number of seedlings lost to brown-spot needle blight

Other benefits include control of unwanted 2. Forested areas requiring improved access hardwoods and brush, control of brown- spot needle blight on longleaf seedlings, Objectives. To reduce understory and and exposure of mineral soil for the increase visibility for proper location of germination of seed and establishment of access roads and firebreaks; to facilitate forage. aerial and ground application of fertilizers and herbicides; to control unwanted Procedures. A winter backfire should be hardwoods; to prepare sites for tree used to reduce initial fuel mass. The burn planting, direct seeding or natural seeding; should be done under the same conditions and to facilitate timber marking and specified for mature pine. On large cutting. ownerships (500 acres or more), the burn should be done in a checkerboard pattern Procedures. Winter backfire should be and on a 3- to 4-year rotational basis, applied under conditions prescribed for burning one block of equal size each year. mature pine and the same precautionary The same precautionary measures as for measures taken. Selective timber marking mature pine should be taken. should be delayed until after 3 to 5 heavy rains have fallen to reduce the amount of Prescribed Burning on Other Sites “smut” on trees and brush.

1. Recreation areas, vistas, facilities having 3. Grassland aesthetic and biological values, and nature study areas. Objectives. To improve forage quality and quantity by reducing mature vegetation Objectives. To enhance appearance, cover and to aid in distribution of grazing. maintain open spaces and increase Also, to reduce the smothering effect of numbers and visibility of flowering plants, cured vegetation in nongrazed areas. stimulate succession in plant communities and create diversity of vegetative types for Procedures. A spring burn immediately wildlife. prior to or during initial green-up of species being managed. These burns will Procedures. Winter backfire should be be planned and supervised by the MFC. applied as for young pine stands above. The same precautionary measures should The same precautionary measures should be taken as for mature pine. be taken as for mature pine stands.

Burning should be avoided when areas are being used by visitors. Careful preplanning and contacts with persons in charge of the area are required.

NRCS, Mississippi January 2000