Fuel loads in plantations worldwide have reached unacceptable levels to the point that most wild fires are becoming uncontrollable. Firefighting crews and communities are placed at huge risk, whilst the timber industry is facing massive financial losses.

Understory burning is the most cost effective method to reduce high fuel loads in plantations. It should be part of every plantation’s fire management plan.

Working on Fire International has dedicated specialist teams conducting understory burning operations globally all year round. Please contact us for more information regarding our services.

The aim of Understory burning is to make fires easier and safer to control and minimize their destructiveness.Climatic conditions limit the possible time spent on prescribed understory burning, making the window of opportunity a priority in all plantation fire management schedules. Working within strict meteorological margins and utilizing an aerial ignition system, 10 times the amount of hectares may be burnt, using the same amount of people as in a conventional manual ignition understorey burn.

Using these low intensity fires, combined with cost vs. increased productivity per hectare, understory burning via aerial ignition should be the only considered method of reducing fuel loads in plantations.

Advantages of Using this System:

• Reduce fuel loads
• Reduces the intensity of wild fires, helps protect the community & reduces losses due to wild fires
• Releases locked up nutrients
• As part of an integrated fire management plan removing the understory can contribute to reducing the annual cost of fire management
• Allows for the burning of large areas within the limited weather window
• Reduces the cost of understory prescribed burning
• Allows for burning the understory without exposing fire fighters to working within the burn zone

Watch the Aerial Ignition clip here

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