Large Woodland Burn
April 13, 2010 by Bill
Filed under Customer FAQ's, How to Guides, Seasonal Reminders
Our local newspaper; The Winona Daily News took some wonderful photos of a large woodland prescribed burn performed by the MN Dept. of Natural Resources on April 9th. From our ridge top office location we watched the smoke billow all afternoon. The burn site is only about 6 miles from Prairie Moon. It was a smoky afternoon in Southeast MN as we were also doing a 100 acre burn in an old Smooth Brome field which had been inter-seeded with a native wildflower/grass mix.
The DNR’s Woodland burn was impressive and the publicity will help spread the word that prescribed burns are an important tool in maintaining our diverse woodlands. The area historically had been an Oak savanna but was being overtaken by honeysuckle and other trees which the fire helps to control. In the future we can hope Smoky the Bear will have a new motto: “Learn to Burn”
Smoke rises from the Vinegar Ridge Forestry Unit near Rushford, Minn., Friday during a controlled burn by the Department of Natural Resources. The fire burned about 450 acres. Melissa Carlo/Winona Daily News
Ray Monson, a grounds employee at Forestville State Park, uses a drip torch of diesel fuel and gasoline Friday to ignite fires along the outer edge of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources' controlled burn at Vinegar Ridge Forestry Unit near Rushford, Minn. More than 50 wildland firefighters helped with the burn. Melissa Carlo/Winona Daily News
Ray Monson, a grounds employee at Forestville State Park, uses a drip torch of diesel fuel and gasoline Friday to ignite fires along the outer edge of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources' controlled burn at Vinegar Ridge Forestry Unit near Rushford, Minn. Melissa Carlo/Winona Daily News
Melissa Carlo/Winona Daily News
Keyth Wallin installs the plastic sphere dispenser in the helicopter before takeoff. Wallin operates the dispenser to release spheres filled with potassium permanganate injected with antifreeze that will react and ignite after they are dropped. Melissa Carlo/Winona Daily News
Keyth Wallin sits in the open door of a helicopter Friday, flown by Mike Balch of Scott's Helicopter Service in Le Sueur, Minn., as they prepare to ignite the Department of Natural Resources' controlled burn at Vinegar Ridge Forestry Unit. Melissa Carlo/Winona Daily News
A helicopter flies around the smoke Friday rising from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources' controlled burn at Vinegar Ridge Forestry Unit near Rushford, Minn. Officials say it was the first time a helicopter was used to ignite a burn in southeast Minnesota. Melissa Carlo/Winona Daily News
Melissa Carlo/Winona Daily News
A helicopter flies around the smoke Friday rising from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources' controlled burn at Vinegar Ridge Forestry Unit near Rushford, Minn. Officials say it was the first time a helicopter was used to ignite a burn in southeast Minnesota. Melissa Carlo/Winona Daily News
