? After the Prescribed Burn

[BarnacleBob]

In about two weeks, weather permitting, Tenn Forestry will be conducting a prescribed burn on my property and our neighbors adjoining property.... neither of us have experience with controlled burns....

My question concerns sowing seed after the burn....will clovers and other broadcast seeds grow w/o plowing or tilling the soil?

If we first broadcast lime & fertilizer on the burnt soil then sow seed, will it grow?

The area is hard woods that will receive TSI and hinge cutting post the burn opening the canopy to light... hence there is no means of mechanical plowing or dragging etc. due to the trees.... Sure would dislike hand raking the area!

I think I want to plant a shade tolerant grass/clover mix under the trees after the burn... not sure of the proper variety... maybe orchard or perrenial rye grass.... ??? I need advice....TIA

 

[letemgrow]

I like to see what pops up naturally after a fire. You may be surprised at what is already there. My vote is to burn it and just let it come back naturally.

 

[AZHunter]

I like to see what pops up naturally after a fire. You may be surprised at what is already there. My vote is to burn it and just let it come back naturally.

X2! I've been conducting prescribed burns and fighting wildfires for almost 10 years and I still get excited and amazed when I see what native stuff pops up naturally after you clear it out and the ash gives nutrients.

 

[Sligh1]

Clover will grow fine after burn. Fertilizer & lime after the burn, no issues there either.
Sounds like "open areas in forest" similar to an oak savanna or something along those lines... you can read up on the oak savannas in dbltree's section here. I think i'd go with above and see what pops up. If it were me, I'd also plant some attractive shrubs, mast trees & evergreens that do well by you but that's kinda a side thought.

If you want to do clover, I'd pick a few open locations and do them in a few patches so you can manage them by mowing or weed whipping, like maybe pick 2 or 3 good patches for them.

 

[DannyBoy]

I am 110% with azhunter and letemgrow. If this area has been hardwoods historically, there should be a nice seedbank of woodland forbs, sedges, etc. Another thing you need to consider is that generally, a prescribed fire in wooded areas will not give you a complete burn - unless your contractor uses a ton of fuel and walks in a grid pattern. Maybe 1 in 20 timber burns I have conducted really scorches stuff and there is always a healthy presence of mature oaks providing heavy leaf litter to carry the fire. I would not be too upset if the burn turns out kind of patchy, thus leaving some unburned areas which will not help your seeding success.

 

[AZHunter]

I am 110% with azhunter and letemgrow. If this area has been hardwoods historically, there should be a nice seedbank of woodland forbs, sedges, etc. Another thing you need to consider is that generally, a prescribed fire in wooded areas will not give you a complete burn - unless your contractor uses a ton of fuel and walks in a grid pattern. Maybe 1 in 20 timber burns I have conducted really scorches stuff and there is always a healthy presence of mature oaks providing heavy leaf litter to carry the fire. I would not be too upset if the burn turns out kind of patchy, thus leaving some unburned areas which will not help your seeding success.

BarnacleBob-I just read your post again and noticed you're from western Tennessee. I've spent some time NW of you in Mayfield/Benton, KY area. You have a true Eastern Hardwoods forest/fuel type and you DON'T want to manage for an Oak Savanna. Then I read DannyBoy's post (good, by the way) and it triggered something that I harp on fire managers for all the time, both from a wildlife/land manager stand point and from a fire manager/fire ecologist standpoint. You ABSOLUTELY DO NOT WANT a 100% burn EVER! You should always manage for a mosaic burn and ensure that your contractor does that. 100% fuel consuming burns actually lead to major erosion problems. You need the unburned "islands" as areas to keep top soil intact as well as to continue contributing to the seed bank into the future. You will likely get localized torching of individual trees (its ok and expected) and the shrub layer will get hit hard in some areas, as will the grasses, but you want to let the fire creep around on its own in a natural pattern like historical fire regimes for your area. I've carried fire on both Rx burns and wildfire and we often run 3-4 guys deep doing it to get good depth. Not once have I looked back and seen 100% consumption if you are doing it right. I've seen crews overdo it and the results were disastrous and far from beneficial.

 

[BarnacleBob]

Talked to Forester/Biologist today, he stated pretty much what all of you have stated.... Me thinks this is gonna be phun!

A big thanks to all of you..... BB

 

[DannyBoy]

Very good point azhunter. Kind of what I was eluding to but you said it better! Always good to have some unburned areas both for the reasons you stated as well as the health of invertebrates or other critters who might be overwintering within the duff. They are also a substantial part of keeping soils and ecosystems healthy!

Good luck with your fire, bob. Like most of us, I think you will learn to love it both as a major workforce and because it is FIRE! I am just as much a pyro now as I was as a kid.

 

[AZHunter]

Very good point azhunter. Kind of what I was eluding to but you said it better! Always good to have some unburned areas both for the reasons you stated as well as the health of invertebrates or other critters who might be overwintering within the duff. They are also a substantial part of keeping soils and ecosystems healthy!

I was starting to bring up the benefit of the unburned islands to the inverts, herps, and small mammals, since that's a big reason why we push mosaic burns out here, but I didn't want to be labeled a bunny hugger! I help teach the wildlife section and fire effects of local RX310 classes and that is a point I drive home every time!