Texas Fires

[forestryworks]

Well since we don't got a firefighting forum on here...

Total acres burned in Texas since Nov. 15, 2010: 3,549,047

Saw Croman Corp. helicopter at the airport here in town a few weeks ago. Columbia was here back in May and June as well.

I know Jacob J. has cut for Croman before, anyone else here cut for them?

Saw this video today:
<iframe width="420" height="345" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/eiHsxFJHwAY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[teatersroad]

crazy. we're having a late start to fire season up here. I was on an Rx burn last week (they like to burn juniper hot). 90 degrees and an rh of 8. Spent the morning chasing down our test fire. Unbelievable conditions for prescibed fire, was kinda sick to my stomache all day. Makes me feel like I'm done with firefighting.

Hope everybody stays safe down there, but it's sounding like it might be too late for a few already

 

[forestryworks]

crazy. we're having a late start to fire season up here. I was on an Rx burn last week (they like to burn juniper hot). 90 degrees and an rh of 8. Spent the morning chasing down our test fire. Unbelievable conditions for prescibed fire, was kinda sick to my stomache all day. Makes me feel like I'm done with firefighting.

Hope everybody stays safe down there, but it's sounding like it might be too late for a few already

That's an awful low RH for Rx burning.

What kind of juniper there?

We got several kinds here. One kind, Redberry juniper (Juniperus pinchotii) will re-sprout. All the others die standing

 

[teatersroad]

Western Juniper. I was kinda in red slash and fine fuels. Enough wind to run the fire down some fairly steep slopes. Plan A was tossed in the first couple of minutes. It was 8 at 13:00, more likely 18 when we started at 11:00. It was my call to be there, 'cuz I have quals. work for a small agency that does a lot of range work. Wasn't my call to go ahead with the fire, that was ODF.

 

[teatersroad]

View attachment 198000View attachment 198001

pretty thin through here. Pine in the foreground (best not to burn). Some Juniper woodland along the east line.

 

[forestryworks]

Looks similar to the part of TX I'm in.

In this area of TX we range in elevation from 3,300 - 8,700'. Desert scrubland (whitebush, mesquite, desert willow) to grasslands (pinyon-juniper and oak) to conifer forest (ponderosa pine, southwestern white pine, douglas-fir, quaking aspen)

 

[teatersroad]

sounds 'bout the same. but we digress..

The Texas fires look grim. Doubt there is much direct attack there.

 

[madhatte]

Latest news from my friends near Austin: all's well, some horses were evacuated, looks like PJ is all that's left to burn so major roads are the control lines. I hear 14000 acres but inciweb doesn't sort it out right yet so I don't know what nor where yet.

 

[forestryworks]

The Bastrop County Complex Fires (34,068 ac., 30% containment) started burning in the Lost Pines area - a disjunct population of Loblolly Pine and eastern hardwoods. Seen a few photos, lost a lot of pine.

Fires to the west of Austin will likely be burning in some PJ, but mostly Juniper (Juniperus ashei), as the Pinon shows up further west of Travis County and at higher elevations. The Pinon is Pinus cembroides var. remota - a disjunct population as well.