Here are two photos taken on March 3, 2011 of a prescribed fire at Fort Indiantown Gap in Pennsylvania.
They are described as follows on flickr where several more photos can be found.
Following work by the Aerial Ignition Crew the prescribed burn progresses at Fort Indiantown Gap on March 3, 2011 . Fort Indiantown Gap conducted the 2,500 acre burn in the training area using an aerial ignition technique using ping pong sized balls filled with [snip] that are injected with [snip] and dropped from a helicopter over the area designated for prescribed burning. Prescribed burns help reduce the potential of major wildfires on Fort Indiantown Gap property and more than 100 prescribed burns have occurred at the installation in the past decade. These burns are always conducted by properly trained personnel with an approved plan and coordinated with the appropriate authorities. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Ted Nichols/Released)
I wish people would not publicize the formula for creating these “ping pong balls”.
I have worked up there as a cooperator to their program(which is very professional and well managed).
Dalamation has it right, objectives are to maintain erly successional/open grassland habitat for a federally endangered species. No mowing done as a fire surrogate, so hitting UXO with a mower is not a big worry.
>Is that northern forest made of of
>fire species?
One more thought…
There should be a “sweet spot” of a few days at the beginning of most spring fire seasons when the grass burns readily, but the leaf litter is still damp from the snow which melted slower in the extra shade and wind protection of the trees.
I wouldn’t be surprised if they were trying to time this fire to that.
Thanks for the information.
B.Morgan
>Is that northern forest made of of
>fire species?
To my amateur eye, no. That’s extremely sparse to qualify as a forest up here!
There may be some pitch pines groves in some of the photos, which is a highly fire adaptive species. The hardwoods are likely oaks, which while not fire dependent certainly don’t mind the occasional low to moderate intensity fire.
It looks like they’re trying to maintain open grasslands. In my corner of Connecticut, The Audubon Society occasionally does that in the town north of me (with the added complication of needing right conditions on a weekend when local volunteers are available to assist; otherwise instead of a spring fire they mow in late summer).
Fort Indiantown Gap also includes artillery firing ranges … not sure I’d want to be to guy tasked with mowing those 🙂
Nice pictures. Is that northern forest made of of fire species?
The materials used in ping pong balls is well knowen in the arson community. Any one with an intrest can look it up, even in pre internet days. But thanks for your concern.
On a arson investigation we found an individual watching with deep purple stains on his hands along with the same stains at the point of origin. Made for an esy case.