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Document

Type: Book
Author(s): Keith Windell; Greg Burkhart
Publication Date: 2009

Established firelines may be used every few years for prescribed fires. Using a blade to clear the firelines would remove more and more of the productive upper layers of the soil. A study conducted at the Shawnee National Forest in Illinois showed that the Buffalo Turbine Cyclone KB3 debris blower mounted in the reinforced bed of a utility terrain vehicle could be used to clear established firelines. One operator drove the UTV while another walked behind the UTV using a radio to tell the driver when to slow down or speed up and adjusting the direction of the blower's chute with a remote control. The blower cleared moist or wet leaves or dry needles from the firelines. Because the blower works even when leaves are wet, units can be prepared for prescribed burns earlier in the spring, extending the period when prescribed burns can be conducted. Dry leaves present problems, because they can build up under the UTV and catch fire.

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Link to this document (3.2 MB; pdf)
Citation: Windell, K., and G. Burkhart. 2009. Blower clears established firelines in hardwood forests without disturbing soil. 2500-Watershed, Soil and Air; 5100-Fire; Tech. Rep. 0925-2828P-MTDC. Missoula, Mt, USDA Forest Service, Missoula Technology and Development Center.

Cataloging Information

Topics:
Regions:
Keywords:
  • Buffalo Turbine
  • Cyclone KB3
  • equipment development
  • erosion
  • fire equipment
  • fire fighting
  • fire management
  • fire suppression
  • firebreaks
  • firefighting
  • forest management
  • hardwood forests
  • Illinois
  • leaves
  • leaves
  • litter
  • national forests
  • needles
  • needles
  • safety at work
  • soil management
  • soils
  • soils
  • UTV's
Tall Timbers Record Number: 25538Location Status: In-fileCall Number: A13.137:0925-2828P-MTDCAbstract Status: Fair use, Okay, Reproduced by permission
Record Last Modified:
Record Maintained By: FRAMES Staff (https://www.frames.gov/contact)
FRAMES Record Number: 49213

This bibliographic record was either created or modified by Tall Timbers and is provided without charge to promote research and education in Fire Ecology. The E.V. Komarek Fire Ecology Database is the intellectual property of Tall Timbers.