Blower Clears Established Firelines in Hardwood Forests Without Disturbing Soil, Introduction

Blower Clears Established Firelines in Hardwood Forests Without Disturbing Soil

Introduction

Highlights...

Established firelines may be used every few years for prescribed fires.
Using a blade to clear the firelines every few years would remove more and more of the productive upper layers of the soil.
When leaves are moist or wet, or when needles are dry, a powerful blower can clear leaves and needles efficiently from established 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.

The Missoula Technology and Development Center (MTDC) was asked to investigate how to build fireline while still conserving the productive A-horizon soils during periodic maintenance of prescribed firelines in a hardwood forest. The project proposal envisioned an attachment that would use a sweeping and blowing action to remove leaves from the firelines. This report describes the site conditions at the Shawnee National Forest and discusses the equipment the forest has available for mounting an attachment. The results of a market search are discussed along with the equipment selected and the modifications that were made. MTDC's solution for clearing existing firelines was a high-speed, high-volume blower that could be mounted in the bed of a utility-terrain vehicle (UTV). The blower is so powerful that it does not have to use a sweeping action. This report includes the results of a time and motion study conducted by the Shawnee National Forest's Hidden Springs Ranger District fire crew. The UTV-mounted blower is an efficient alternative to the backpack leaf blowers that were being used to remove leaf litter from firelines established for prescribed fires.

Photo of a deciduous forest in late fall.