Blower Clears Established Firelines in Hardwood Forests Without Disturbing Soil, Davy Crockett National Forest’s Experience

Blower Clears Established Firelines in Hardwood Forests Without Disturbing Soil

Davy Crockett National Forest's Experience

The Davy Crockett National Forest in Texas was experimenting with a Cyclone KB3 debris blower at the same time the Shawnee National Forest was doing so. The Davy Crockett National Forest's Cyclone KB3 debris blower was mounted in the bed of a Kubota UTV. Experimentation showed that angling the chute to one side (figure 31) worked well.

Photo of a Buffalo Turbine mounted to a Kubota UTV.
Figure 31—The Davy Crockett National Forest's Kubota UTV
with the chute directed toward the rear of the UTV.

Because the chute is rigid, it could be damaged when the UTV crossed streams or gullies. The Davy Crockett National Forest has expressed interest in the flexible chute developed by MTDC. Robert Manry (equipment operator for the Davy Crockett National Forest) also tried mounting the air chute so it was coming off the front of the forest's Polaris UTV. Safety staff would not sanction this arrangement because the chute obstructed visibility.