Will green vegetation burn?
Filed under: Ask Grant, Habitat Management
Two things: Last weekend I ran into a road block with a 2 acre plot I have. I really needed to burn the plot because there was so many leaves on it. However, I was unsure as to how to properly burn a food plot. I’ve seen your videos on how to do a prescribed burn on woodland, but not a plot. Will the green vegetation not burn? Please help!!
Next, I’ve been hearing loads of people take about the new craze of hinge cutting. I’ve read you can actually funnel the deer from the bedding are you have made, to the travel corridor you have also made, to a blind setup where you are waiting. How come you have never talked about this/added this to your arsenal?
Your friend,
Jim Marshall
Jim,
Green vegetation usually won’t carry a fire very well. Green vegetation is usually full (literally) of water. Some plants are composed of 70% water! In situations where you are trying to remove such vegetation it’s often best to mow the vegetation and allow it to dry then carefully use a prescribed fire to remove the duff. The fire can also create a clean seedbed!
I very rarely prescribe hinge cutting. It can work well the first year or two. However the limbs will rapidly grow toward the sun and shade out any vegetation below. Deer and most critters need cover from ground level to three feet tall. Most hinge cutting creates cover above three feet. In a few years when the hinge cutting shades out the ground it’s an ugly mess that’s difficult to redirect to better type of cover.
Enjoy creation!
