TABLE OF CONTENTS Overview 3 Objectives of this class Why burn brush Planning and Preparing 5 Weather Considerations Burn Permits Tools 8 Brush Pile Placement 9 Minimizing burn scar Location of other fuels Protecting desirable vegetation Safety considerations Safety Talk 11 Working a Brush Pile 12 Construction Ignition Adding to and Monitoring Supervision Guidelines 14 Multiple brush piles Amount of supervision Distance factor Youth factor Alternative plans Ending the Workday 16 Extinguishing the fire Decision on chipping Reporting 17 Communication to FPCC Weekly Workday Report Communication to other agencies & entities Burn call sheets Troubleshooting Communications & Scheduling BRUSH PILE BUILDING & BURNING Communicating with the Public 20 Education Signage Impact on Wildlife 22 Aesthetics 23 Troubleshooting 24 Putting it All Together 25 Certification Process 26 Policy on Campfires 27 Appendices Brush Pile Building & Burning Policy – Reschedule Workday List Executive Summary Supply Order Form Illinois EPA Burn Permit Delivery Locations Cook County Burn Permit FPCC Contacts Weekly Workday Schedule Brush Pile Burn Call Sheet via Weekly Report Brush Pile Burn Call Sheet – Day of 2 January 2015 edition BRUSH PILE BUILDING & BURNING OVERVIEW OBJECTIVES OF THIS CLASS a safety hazard and can create inappropriate Train volunteers to run workdays that are wildlife habitat. safe, effective, minimize collateral damage Chipping is an alternative but can only be and leave the site safe for others. done in areas where a vehicle can be safely Train volunteers to properly construct, safely driven to without damage to the area. ignite, monitor and secure brush piles before Chipping is used instead of burning only if leaving. burning creates public safety or perception Train volunteers on the communication issues and the site is accessible. Otherwise requirements before and after the burn. burning is the preferred method to eliminate Train volunteers to use available weather brush and is almost always the most efficient. data and site observations to make good decisions and judgment calls on all aspects of Addressing some concerns about brush pile brush pile construction and burning. burning - Not everyone understands the need for burning brush. More information The personal safety of volunteers is vitally about dealing with the public will be important. It is critical that brush pile burns discussed later in this class, but a few key be conducted safely and in accordance with points to consider are… Illinois EPA and Cook County regulations. All brush pile burns create a temporary burn Additionally, failure to meet the regulations scar. However, any negative impacts on a may jeopardize the Forest Preserves of Cook small, limited area are outweighed by the County’s (FPCC) open burn permit and affects positive impacts on the entire area. Although the operation throughout the county, not burn scars are temporary, minimizing site just your site. It is important that everyone damage through careful positioning and good in a leadership position at a site keeps that in practices while burning reduce the short- mind as they are making decisions. term negative impact and increase the long- term positive impact. Best practices to Conducting brush pile burns without incident minimize negative and maximize positive also fosters positive public perception of the impact will be discussed later. use of fire in restoration work. All brush pile burns have some risk and should be conducted carefully and safely. WHY BURN BRUSH Awareness of weather conditions, careful positioning of the brush pile, good practices Piling and burning cut brush is an efficient while burning and being prepared for means to handle cut brush, large quantities unexpected factors reduce that risk. The of which are often produced on a workday. managed risk is accepted for overall benefits. Leaving excess brush on the ground impedes All burning produces smoke which includes controlled burns, interferes with resprout CO2, CO and particulate matter. However, and invasives control at a later date, can awareness of wind direction and speed and smother desirable ground vegetation, can be proper communication to area residents can reduce local negative impact of these. The January 2015 edition 3 BRUSH PILE BUILDING & BURNING long term benefits of a healthy ecosystem A diverse, healthy native ecosystem is the that will ultimately fix more carbon and ultimate goal. Clearing and burning brush is produce more oxygen far outweighs the part of the long-term plan for achieving that. slight negative effects of these small burns in the short term. 4 January 2015 edition BRUSH PILE BUILDING & BURNING PLANNING & PREPARING WEATHER CONSIDERATIONS website to your Favorites or to your Preserves staff and volunteer site leaders Smartphone search as you will be using it must check weather conditions before and before and throughout the workday. during the workday. FPCC staff monitors weather data throughout the day and has the Ground truthing – is the understanding of responsibility of suspending burning if there your site, awareness of various features are weather concerns. FPCC staff will contact (ecological features or manmade structures) the site leader listed on the weekly report to and how the regional data should be make sure that the site leaders are aware of adjusted for your locale. You can reference the conditions and are taking appropriate the land management schedule. action. However, because cellphones are not always available, not heard out at the work Weather Websites NOAA’s website is site, reception is not guaranteed, etc., the http://www.noaa.gov/ Enter the zip code call method is not fool proof. The site where you will be working to get weather leaders should also be aware of weather data from the closest NOAA data source. conditions so that good decisions are being Information on this website will allow you to made and alternate plans for the workday determine how safe it is to burn. are made even before any phone call is received from FPCC. There are several spots where you will be gathering data from within this website to Is it especially important to monitor weather make your weather related decision conditions on questionable weather days. regarding the burn. Weather impacts both where you should Below the 7 Day Forecast, there are options burn and whether you should burn. You do for different forecasts. Either the Hourly not need to be meteorologist but an Weather Graph or Tabular Forecast will give understanding of how weather impacts you the hourly forecast for the following burning, smoke movement, etc. will help you factors (one in graph form and the other in a plan your workday, predict possible table): concerns, prevent problems later, and make Temperature you better prepared. Mixing Height Surface Wind Speed The NOAA (National Oceanic and Transport Winds Atmospheric Administration) website and the Wind Direction Airnow (EPA) website are important tools Posted Wind Speed (20 ft Height) that you will use to plan your workday and Gusts conduct your brush pile burn. These Vent Rate websites contain the hourly forecast for AQI Relative Humidity (Air Quality Index), wind direction, wind speed, relative humidity, temperature and a The website allows you to click on and off the lot more! It is a good idea to save this features that you need so you can create a January 2015 edition 5 BRUSH PILE BUILDING & BURNING graph or a table of just the factors that you miles per hour is a violation of our permit want to look at. with IEPA. Wind is required to feed oxygen to the fire and to move the smoke. Burning http://airnow.gov/ - This site provides the when wind speed is over 20 miles per hour is AQI (air quality index) information that you prohibited in the safety guidelines of the need – both the current reading (updated Preserves. hourly) and the forecast. It provides information on air quality and the health This is site dependent though, for instance effects of burning. It also has a notification wind speed in a woodland is significantly service that notifies you the day before what reduced from posted wind speed, because the forecast for the next day will be, sign up the trees slow down wind speed. If it is too required. windy to burn in a prairie, it may be possible to burn in a woodland. Or if it is not windy How to use the data enough to burn in a woodland it may be Temperature – Brush piles will burn faster possible to burn in a prairie. This is a good and ignite more easily on a warmer day than example of how ground truthing plays a role on a cold day. But there are no specific in decision making. temperature requirements for a burn. This is a decision made by the Site Steward and the Wind direction, gusts, mixing height, Brush Pile Burn Boss. Temperature is needed transport winds and venting – These factors for herbicide recordkeeping as well. all determine where the smoke will go. Avoid sending smoke where it will directly impact Relative humidity – Ideal humidity is between roads, paved trails, walking paths, homes, 25% (more safely at 30%) and 50% for a businesses, etc. Gusts will challenge brush pile fire. Higher relative humidity managing the smoke and embers. Factors makes it difficult to burn but it is still safe. such as mixing height, transport winds and Lower relative humidity makes it unsafe to venting determine the height and speed at burn. You should not burn on days with which the smoke will move so observation relative humidity under 25% and should be (ground truthing) of what is happening to the extra cautious in the 25-30% range. Relative smoke as it moves from the immediate area humidity is naturally higher very early (before is very important. Familiarity with these 10:00am) and later (after 3:00pm).