Ranch Checklist For Prescribed Burning

General Comments

The proper use of prescribed burning by ranchers requires planning, organization, and control. Burning differs from other practices in the lead time that is necessary to accomplish pre-burn objectives, such as accumulation of fuel load. The actual implementation of a burn requires little time, but is often the culmination of several months of preburn preparations and activities.

There are also postburn considerations for ranch management which should be recognized. Some of these occur immediately following a burn, such as postburn patrols, while others are extended into several months after, such as grazing management decisions.

The purpose of this checklist is not to try and list all of the items needing attention from ranch management for every burn. Instead, it is itended to enumerate areas of concern common to most burns, so that they will not be inadvertently overlooked. It is strongly sugested that the checklist be ammended to fit each situation.

RANCH CHECKLIST AND GENERALIZED CHRONOLOGY FOR PRESCRIBED BURNING

  1. PREBURN CONSIDERATIONS (1 - 2 years preburn)
    1. Rationale for the burn
      1. ____ Place (target pastures identified)
      2. ____ Purpose (brush management, rough removal, etc.)
      3. ____ Timing (cool or warm season, tenative date)
      4. ____ How to burn (preliminary fire plan including fire lane design)
      5. ____ Preburn pasture treatments needed and timing (mechanical, chemical, deferment)
      6. ____ Consideration of vulnerability (erosion, wildlife)
      7. ____ Legal aspects (ranch liabilities)
    2. Planning for the burn (6 months to 1 year preburn)
      1. ____ Determination and location of alternative forage needs for livestock
      2. ____ Setting of required dates for preburn removal of grazing animals based on fuel load requirements
      3. ____ Budgeting costs of burn
      4. ____ Final fire plan preparation
    3. Equipment arrangements (3 months to 6 months preburn)
      1. ____ Contracted equipment (i.e., bulldozer, motorgrader)
      2. ____ Locally available (i.e., pumper truck)
      3. ____ Ranch owned (cattle sprayer, water trailer, water barrels
      4. ____ Dates firm for equipment work to be completed
    4. Personnel (1 month to 3 months preburn)
      1. ____ Fire boss designated and authorization provided
      2. ____ Assignment of ranch personnel, time provisions and training if necessary
      3. ____ Considerations for other people needed
    5. Notification (2 weeks to 4 weeks preburn)
      1. ____ Texas Air Quality Board (if required)
      2. ____ Neighbors
      3. ____ Sheriff's Department
      4. ____ Fire Department
      5. ____ DPS (if advisable)
      6. ____ County Commissioner
      7. ____ Oil and gas lessees
      8. ____ Hunters
      9. ____ Others
    6. Preburn construction and patrols (1 - 2 weeks preburn)
      1. ____ Construction of fire lanes according to fire plan and careful inspection
      2. ____ Removal of remnant livestock
      3. ____ Facilities protection
        1. ____ feeders
        2. ____ pens
        3. ____ highline poles
        4. ____ oil and gas structures
        5. ____ fences
        6. ____ hunting facilities
        7. ____ inspection of completed fire lanes (if constructed more than 30 days preburn)
        8. ____ REFER TO FIRE PLAN FOR PREBURN ITEMS AND ACCOMPLISH AS INDICATED IN REQUIRED TIME FRAME
        9. ____ other
    7. Weather information and final inspection (week of the burn)
      1. ____ 7 day forecast
      2. ____ 24 hour forecast
      3. ____ Final inspection (fire lanes, facilities protection, etc.)
  2. POSTBURN CONSIDERATIONS (immediately postburn)
    1. Postburn patrols of burned areas
      1. ____ Fire-brands
      2. ____ Poles and posts
      3. ____ Smoldering piles
      4. ____ Livestock access
    2. Grazing control (completed for period to 1 year or longer postburn)
      1. ____ Deferment period provided
      2. ____ Observations of vegetation changes
      3. Decision to restock pastures
        1. ____ appropriate stocking rate
        2. ____ projected grazing period
        3. ____ follow-up observations