For those of you that practice open-burning of leaves/brush..

[Tinhack]

I like having to have a permit. Our permits are free with the requirement of a minimum of 6” of snow on the ground. Helps keep down the jerks from starting forest fires.

The last time we had 6" of snow down here was around 1973 or there abouts. Cops shut down all the roads if they see a snowflake so you can imagine what it was like for a couple of days. No one down here even heard of a snow shovel. The city was trying to clear the snow with Street Cleaners and Road Graders.

Well, I looked it up. Seems San Antonio had a 13" snowfall in 1985 but I wasn't living there then. At that time I was living in the North Coast snow belt outside Cleveland, Ohio. 13" up there was considered a dusting of snow. :laughing:

 

[hks003]

No permits needed in my area either. I had my house place cleared, and a dozer pushed up all the slash and stumps into a pile. About 3 gallons of diesel and a few matches later, I had a blaze of glory. Soldered for a solid week, but the flames died down by lunch the Saturday I lit it and stayed out there with it.

 

[Diggin It]

I have struggled with the idea of getting a wood chipper to chip the material. I can use the chips after all. However, I cannot afford a chipper that will be able to handle large logs. And deconstructing this pile... yikes. I'm not lazy, but that would be a massive job. Interlocking large brush pile with large material in it.

With a capable chipper, you chip as you cut the brush. You never end up with a large pile to begin with.

 

[Industrial Toys]

It is WAY more work. But, as much as I like a Gigantic bon fire, I'm gonna try and just leave as much brush in the forest or on fence lines as possible, simply as the more ecologically friendly thing to do.

Also as far as using a chipper. Who wants that thing screaming way as you go about collecting brush? Certainly not I.

 

[Avenger]

With a capable chipper, you chip as you cut the brush. You never end up with a large pile to begin with.

Oh, I feel ya. But these piles were made by the loggers. They aggressively logged my property, with 24 loads, in about 3 days. There is no time for chipping at that rate. :laughing:

 

[orezok]

I lived in JT for about 10 years before moving further north in the Mojave. Go down to the County Fire Department on Park and get a burn permit. They are good for 1 year and free. They should give you a handout with regulations but if not here they are. https://cms.sbcounty.gov/portals/58/Documents/Programs/OutdoorFireRequirements.pdf You do have to call the AQMD line to get permission to burn and to let them know that there will be smoke from your property. That keeps them from false response.

There are no unusual requirements except for high wind days and high pollution days (rare up here) and a requirement to have a fire extinguisher and hose available.

What I do is dig a pit with my tractor that is 2' deep and burn in the pit. When i am done I just push the dirt back over the pit. Everything is now clean.

 

[JTMachineDesign]

I lived in JT for about 10 years before moving further north in the Mojave. Go down to the County Fire Department on Park and get a burn permit.

I'm not interested in burning and they closed the fire department in JT. The only thing I want to burn on my property are the Joshua Trees! They're not trees, they're not attractive, provide no shade.. you cant even touch them. Worthless weeds as far as I'm concerned, but the Desert Karen's seem to think they need to be protected, even on your own private property.
Lately, I've been clearing and leveling a corner of my place in order to have a new shop/office/mancave erected for when I retire next year. This place was a barren hillside years ago, The owners actually paid a landscaper to put in irrigation and plant (get this) creosote bushes! crappy worthless bushes right below tumbleweeds on the desirability scale, they got over 15 ft tall thanks to being watered. I shut down the irrigation and have been removing them - 26 of them so far. Cut the branches down to ground level, then dug out the root ball (with my LS MT125 backhoe) and hauled them to the 29 palms transfer station (no cost for greens) where they get picked up and recycled into mulch for the county. I never considered burning them since a 30 minute trip to the transfer station gets them out of my life much faster but wondered what people who burn routinely have to go through..
Recently I got a love-letter from the county informing me that now creosote bushes are protected, and it's now illegal to do ANYTHING within a 40' radius of a joshua tree, unless it's dead. The area I cleared has a tree 21' away so now I'm waiting to see if they're going to let me build, and I'm running an experiment to see if peeing on them kills them.... err, I mean if dogs pee on them..

Im also looking at prices for homes in Arizona... I want to move back to 'Merica.

 

[oosik]

Here in NE WA state there are times - late summer - when burning is prohibited. Potential start of wildfires. Need a permit? I don't know - I've never asked. I don't collect nor burn brush. I will, on occasion, burn entire pine trees. Limbs and all. It's a clean-up of pines killed by pine bark beetle. I only burn in the winter - after we have snow.

I use tractor/grapple to clean up limbs and move the five to ten foot long sections of tree trunk to my burn pit. Once it's all there - touch it off.

 

[Frankenkubota]

I burned everything. prescribed burn. Still Waiting, 14 months for the govt to reimburse me but......the virus.

 

[lman]

I didn't know there was a govt. program to pay somebody to burn their property. Can you provide any details?

 

[hks003]

Im also looking at prices for homes in Arizona... I want to move back to 'Merica.

I was confused for a second because your profile says California. Then it clicked... Should have clicked sooner, since in my part of the world, California is another country!

 

[deezler]

I actually just dug a big hole on Sunday afternoon - to put my bonfire ash pile underground.

Had been burning massive brush and debris bonfires in this spot for the last 6 years or so. Shared the spot with my neighbor so we often had 15 ft diameter piles of stuff to burn. Well after many of the bonfires including crappy furniture, busted pallets, and old timbers, etc, the pile was full of semi-toxic leftovers and small nails, etc. I didn't want to burn big junk fires in this spot anymore, so it was time to bury the ash and move on.

 

[Frankenkubota]

Yes and I will withhold editorial comments.

In my area, central NC, (27 degrees!) various govt agencies will do a prescribed burn on your property if you qualify. In my case I bought a tree farm, had to have a forestry report done, applied, waited.

Finally, I paid a private forestry guy to do it because I知 gonna die someday and was not sure how long the govt would take, still waiting.

55 acres, I had burn lines put in on the outside boundary痴 with dozer so as not to burn neighbors land. The guy burned it at nite and no offense, burning mans got nothin on me! It was very very cool.

Maybe $6K all in but Uncle Sam keeps promising they are going to reimburse me. I知 not holding my breath. If you know anyone working in the govt office that controls this stuff in your area, it will help, unless it痴 your ex!

In the end, all the baby trees are dead but still standing and their offspring have already grown 2 ft in 6 months. Basically provides food for wildlife I guess.

At nite it was a site to see!

 

[orezok]

I'm not interested in burning and they closed the fire department in JT. The only thing I want to burn on my property are the Joshua Trees! They're not trees, they're not attractive, provide no shade.. you cant even touch them. Worthless weeds as far as I'm concerned, but the Desert Karen's seem to think they need to be protected, even on your own private property.
Lately, I've been clearing and leveling a corner of my place in order to have a new shop/office/mancave erected for when I retire next year. This place was a barren hillside years ago, The owners actually paid a landscaper to put in irrigation and plant (get this) creosote bushes! crappy worthless bushes right below tumbleweeds on the desirability scale, they got over 15 ft tall thanks to being watered. I shut down the irrigation and have been removing them - 26 of them so far. Cut the branches down to ground level, then dug out the root ball (with my LS MT125 backhoe) and hauled them to the 29 palms transfer station (no cost for greens) where they get picked up and recycled into mulch for the county. I never considered burning them since a 30 minute trip to the transfer station gets them out of my life much faster but wondered what people who burn routinely have to go through..
Recently I got a love-letter from the county informing me that now creosote bushes are protected, and it's now illegal to do ANYTHING within a 40' radius of a joshua tree, unless it's dead. The area I cleared has a tree 21' away so now I'm waiting to see if they're going to let me build, and I'm running an experiment to see if peeing on them kills them.... err, I mean if dogs pee on them..

Im also looking at prices for homes in Arizona... I want to move back to 'Merica.

If you do not love and respect our desert, you do not belong here. Please get on I10 east as soon as possible.

 

[Diggin It]

I'm just glad I can pull, spray, cut, trim or burn whatever weeds I want to at my own discretion.

 

[JTMachineDesign]

I was confused for a second because your profile says California. Then it clicked... Should have clicked sooner, since in my part of the world, California is another country!

Aint it the truth.. I'm born and raised Californian but this isn't the state I was born into. San Diego is Mexico Norte, San Fransisco is a cesspool and Sacramento is unbelievably crazy. If it wasn't for stuff beyond my control at the moment I'd have left years ago.

If you do not love and respect our desert, you do not belong here. Please get on I10 east as soon as possible.

OK Karen... kiss your tarantulas and say high to the scorpions for me...

 

[orezok]

Aint it the truth.. I'm born and raised Californian but this isn't the state I was born into. San Diego is Mexico Norte, San Fransisco is a cesspool and Sacramento is unbelievably crazy. If it wasn't for stuff beyond my control at the moment I'd have left years ago.



OK Karen... kiss your tarantulas and say high to the scorpions for me...

City flatlanders just amaze me.

 

[Diggin It]

 

[mred2]

And I thought most of the desert was flat.

 

[orezok]

And I thought most of the desert was flat.

Nope, high elevation, 3500 MSL at my place and mountains over 11,000’