March 8

The conditions were finally right to finish our controlled burn. We did the burn in two sections, starting with 8 acres and then doing 15 acres. The 8 acre section also had a small stand of worthless junk pines, which we requested that they kill. Killing the pines will make them easier to remove and replant.

After the burn was over, we went around with our tractor and water buffalo and sprayed down the smoking stumps. We worked until dark and got them mostly out. The fire department stopped by an said that it was looking good, so we called it a night.

	They started by lighting up the piles of brush that we had from clearing around the lines.
	Then they went around the edges lighting the brush with their drip torch.
	Very quickly it took hold and started to spread.
	Soon the brush was burning nicely.
	The green palmettos are always spectacular when they catch fire. It looks like you poured gasoline on them. In fact, it is only the waxy leaves burning.
	They started the stand of trees going.
	Within seconds, the palmettos under the trees were in flames and spreading rapidly.
	They spread further into the stand....
	... and got hotter....
	...then, as quickly as they started, the fire died down....
	...until there was only a few small flames.
	The flames continue through the stand of trees....
	until it comes out the other side.
	It gets into the palmettos and heads for the crown of the trees.
	The trees became fully engulfed. At this point the flames were so hot that it created it's own wind.
	Within 5 minutes of the initial lighting of this stand of trees, the flames are nearly gone.
	The smoke continues.
	Here is what it looks like immediately after the burn.
	I had disked around all of the property lines to contain the fire. In this picture, it is burning right up to the edge and no further.
	After the burn it looks much more open.
	Then we started the same process with the remaining 15 acres.
	There goes more palmettos.