Tuesday, May 3, 2011

A Controlled Burn

AH taking a video of the burn
I got a call during AH's swim lesson yesterday.  A family friend wanted us to know that his company was going to be doing a controlled burn in our area and we were welcome to come watch.  Well, who can pass up a fire? We took a lunch and some books along with us to the burn site.  When we got there our friend, Eric, came over to explain exactly what they were planning to do and why.  Then we sat back and watched the crews go to work.
Burning the dead plant material clears the way for new growth while adding nutrients to the soil.

There are 2 crews: each crew consists of one person starting the fire with a torch and another with water gun.  The crews work opposite one another.



The trees were sprayed down with water to protect them.

Our friend Eric.

It was amazing how fast the ground turned black!