Every few years in spring we burn our wildflower field. This allows us to chop down the new trees and bushes trying to grow in the field, and clears the way for new flowers to emerge.
Of course our #1 priority is safety. We certainly don’t want to burn down our house, forest or neighbors. To practice fire safety, we:
- Never burn in a drought year.
- Choose a calm wind day shortly after a rain.
- Water down the boundaries and any trees we don’t want to burn.
- Start the fire around the edges of the field and force it to burn inward to the center.
- Burn against the wind.
- Use water hoses throughout the process.
Here are some more photos:
You want nice, clean burn edges.
Even a small, contained fire can burn hot.
The flames reach 30 feet high.
The smoldering ashes cast eerie shadows.
