Writing a burn plan is a very important step in prescribed burning. It helps you identify objectives, choose weather and fuel parameters, and helps you organize important details pertinent to the burn. Here are some of the key elements to include:
The Burning Elements of a Burn Plan
- Author/Burn Boss (name and contact info)
- Important Contacts (GFC, LE, medical, fire)
- Purpose of Burn (ecological, fuel reduction)
- Unit Description (fuel types and loading, hazards, surrounding fuels)
- Previous Burning Events (RX and wildfire)
- Weather Parameters (winds, temp, rH, mixing height)
- Smoke Management Plan (sensitive areas and distance, down-drainage)
- Burn Management (firebreak prep, ignition, holding, mop-up, map)
- Contingencies (escape routes, secondary control lines)
- Post Burn Monitoring (objectives met, consumption, problems)
Prescribed burning, like all outdoor burning of natural vegetative materials, is considered open burning and requires a burn permit from the Georgia Forestry Commission (GFC). You can obtain one by calling or going online. To learn more about open burning in your county call your local GFC office.
Make sure you check your weather before you burn to ensure that it is within your desired prescription. The Fire Weather Dashboard is a handy website that allows you to click on a map and get pertinent fire weather forecasts.
Georgia Prescribed Fire Manager Certification offers training and a comprehensive manual that will help you understand the components of a good burn plan.
The Guide to Fire in Southern Forests provides basic information to help you become technically proficient in the proper planning and use of prescribed fire. It can help you plan and execute prescribed burns in Southern forests and grasslands by explaining the reasons for prescribed burning, describing the environmental effects, explaining the importance of weather, and describing the various techniques of prescribed burning.
The Smoke Management Guidebook for Prescribed Burning in the Southern Region will help you understand smoke management. It covers various techniques that can be used to help manage the smoke that is created by prescribed fire.
The Southern Fire Exchange offers a great deal of information about weather mapping and information resources. Their publication page offers insight into a number of topics that will help you understand the dynamics of prescribed burning.