Re: Help! Need to rework logging slash piles

Posted by Hal/WA on November 26, 2005 at 20:51:33 from (148.65.0.200):

In Reply to: Help! Need to rework logging slash piles posted by Richard Scott on November 25, 2005 at 15:04:30:

Have you tried starting the fires with a propane torch? I use my Harbor Freight weedburner torch attached to a 5 gallon propane tank, and have had good luck getting pretty wet piles to burn. I push the burner into the pile and down low and let the heat do the job. Needles that are still on limbs burn great. Piled wet needles burn slowly and steam/smoke a lot, but eventually do burn. My biggest problems have been with piles that had a lot of dirt mixed in. They take weeks to burn.

I have used some of those cheap blue tarps on parts of some of my piles, to give an area of somewhat dryer fuel to get piles started. I also use my tractor and loader to stir the piles after they have burned down some. This exposes more fuel to the air and ends up taking much less time than just letting the piles burn.

If you can't get piles to burn using a propane torch, maybe you will have to wait until next year. It depends on how much precipitation you get. The blue tarps are often available for a couple of dollars on sale. I would suggest buying a few and partially covering some of your piles, so the rain will run off. In my experience, the bigger the pile, the better it will burn, so you might want to consider pushing piles together if the authorities will allow you to.

Years ago, we always put a junk tire in each burn pile. That always got them to burn....but now it is specificly prohibitted in my area. If they catch you burning tires, they not only can fine you, but I think they can revoke your burn permit. So I haven't burned tires for years. You might check what they say in your area. It works, but does make some black, very detectable smoke. It also leaves the nonburnable parts of the tires--the steel bead wires and steel belts as evidence.

Something else that works is moving actively burning material from a well-started pile with a tractor loader to a nonburning pile. It is a smoky job to do this, but is a way to get a second pile started.

Good luck! It has taken me years to get the mess cleaned up and burned after my 20 acres was logged. But that was mostly because the loggers didn't do what they promised and were really sloppy about piling the slash. I am not sure I would have had the logging done if I had known how much mess they would leave....live and learn.

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