Agenda - 01-29-2001-1 - Laserfiche WebLink

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is cleared in connection to a development permit application. The remaining permits are for parcels cleared by a landowner with no immediate development permit being sought. Silvicultural Burning There are 4 reasons that burning is practiced for silvicultural purposes. These are: • Site preparation for timber planting (open burning) est. 50-150 ac/yr. • Thinning for timber management (understory burning) est. 20-30 ac/yr. • Thinning for wildlife management (understory) est. 20-30 ac/yr. • Fire hazard reduction (understory.) est. 25-75 ac/yr._ Total est. 115-285 ac/yr. Acreage burned year to year varies widely. For example from 1995 to 2000, only one year, 1999, saw more than 90 acres burned for site preparation by the Forest Service. The figure for that year was 423 acres. Forest.managers are not required to, but often contract with the Forest Service for burns and the Forest Service utilizes a Smoke Management Plan as criteria for determining the circumstances for an appropriate bum. The Forest Service performs about 2/3 of the burns in Orange County; the remainder is done by a small group of private, certified bumers. Forestry burns are for material "in place", that is, without pushing material into piles. In the case of understory burns, this is to avoid damage to the trees being cultivated. In the case of open, site preparation burns this is so that the soil does not get baked by intense heat, thus hindering the growth of newly planted seedlings. Burns are not designed to remove all debris but only the material less than 1" to 2" in diameter. Each forest management site and situation is unique and there are alternatives to burning such as herbicides, chopping, root-rake bulldozing and others. Forest Management Plans (FMPs) written by a Registered Forester, required if the landowner takes part in any of a variety of State reforestation cost-sharing and tax status programs, prescribe activities which will be used in the management of the forest, including burning. The City of Greensboro requires FMPs as part of their tree ordinance. While alternative methods are often employed in place of or in addition to burning, the consensus among the forestry professionals staff consulted with was that burning is unparalleled as a forest management practice, provided that it is done: • safely • according to law • by a Certified Burner • as part of a Forest Management Plan Agricultural Burning There are 4 reasons that burning is practiced for agricultural purposes. These are: • Pasture development (usually post-timbering) . est. 50-75 acres/year • Edge clearing (clears roads and fights encroachment) est. 5-10 ac/yr. • Storm damage debris varies, difficult to est. • Bermuda rass for earl ha production) est. 5-10 ac/ r. Total 50-95ac/yr. +