DEBRIS BURNING AND FOREST FIRES
Douglas J. McLaren, Department of Forestry, University of Kentucky
The leading cause of wildfires in Kentucky
is unsafe debris burning--fires accidentally escaping from burning garbage,
trash or plant materials. Annually, an estimated one out of every 75 Kentucky
woodland owners face fire on their property. Kentucky has averaged over
2,000 forest fires each year for the past 35 years with an estimated 80,000
acres burned annually.
The critical effect of these fires
is the decline in timber quality due to fire damage. The damaged trees
fall prey to insects and disease that gain entrance through fire scars.
Quality losses from these fires average 60 percent of the timber's value
and may run as high as 75 percent.
Approximately 75 percent of Kentucky's
forest fires occur in the spring, Many of these spring fires are started
by landowners to clear their fields or garden plots. Planting areas not
properly prepared the previous fall present problems in the spring with
dry, standing corn stalks, weeds and other debris that interfere with cultivation.
A common solution is to burn the debris.
Besides creating a fire hazard, burning
this plant material destroys organic matter that is valuable to crops.
If left undisturbed, this organic matter would:
1.Help bind soil particles together,
forming air spaces between particles which improve water drainage through
2.Act like a sponge to improve the
water-holding capacity of excessively drained soils and aeration of poorly
3.Release nutrients which would feed
4.Help sustain soil organisms which
contribute to healthy plant biochemical processes in the soil.
It is possible to avoid burning when
managing crop residue. At the end of the fall harvesting season, use a
lawn mower on small garden plots to shred the debris and bring it in contact
with the soil. You can also rake and compost the material. Use a tiller
on small gardens and disk larger fields to help incorporate materials into
the soil for better decomposition, Sowing a cover crop which will be incorporated
into the soil in the spring will prevent serious soil loss.
Corn stalks, if cut in the late fall
to make contact with the soil, will incorporate easily into the soil the
following spring. They can also be piled for compost.
With proper maintenance in the fall,
you can drastically reduce springtime debris burning. This reduction could
prevent numerous forest fires, help ensure the existing quality of our
timberlands, and actually improve the quality of our croplands.