Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Controlled Burn


So I'm working in the lower level with the windows open and sniff sniff..."mmm...smells like smoke!"

Yes indeed, less than a quarter of a mile away, there is a controlled burn being executed in what I had though was a no burn, high drought situation.
Me being the good neighbor to the north, thank you WCCO, hopped in car and headed south.
The crew was not appreciative of the photo op.
Tough.

Controlled burns can be beneficial for prairie restoration. And I know my neighbor is developing organic farming and bee keeping in an area of 120 acres that was previously farmed with traditional chemical use and non treated pastureland.

However...it still stunk to high heaven.  There was no water truck.  And there was no notice given to the good neighbors down breeze.

from Wikipedia
Agricultural use
In addition to forest management, controlled burning is also used in agriculture. In the developing world, this is often referred to as slash and burn. In industrialized nations, it is seen as one component of shifting cultivation, as a part of field preparation for planting. Often called field burning, this technique is used to clear the land of any existing crop residue as well as kill weeds and weed seeds. Field burning is less expensive than most other methods such as herbicides or tillage, but because it does produce smoke and other fire-related pollutants, its use is not popular in agricultural areas bounded by residential housing.[citation needed]



What burns you?