Fire Breaks

jburd641

Explorer
Jan 16, 2008
410
22
Port Charlotte, Fl.
This may seem like a silly question but I'm curious as to how the fire breaks in the pines work. It seems to me that any fires would easily jump them.
My one and only guess is that they keep the matting of pine needles from spreading fire on the ground when the major fire is out.
Can someone please fill me in on these?
 

MarkBNJ

Piney
Jun 17, 2007
1,875
73
Long Valley, NJ
www.markbetz.net
I think the trenching is for the purpose you describe: breaking up the humus of the forest floor, which often acts to conduct fires below ground level from one spot to another. I don't think any feature narrower than a feedstrip would keep fire from jumping across in a stiff breeze.
 

Medford Piney

Explorer
Feb 25, 2008
121
1
Medford
I believe they are actually there for the reason you discribed and more important as a break line to contain back fires during the event of a forest fire and during prescribed burns. I believe there is someone that belongs to the fire service here and I'd bet he'll correct us if the assumptions are alittle off...
 

firetech792

Scout
Aug 26, 2007
70
2
Central NJ
www.sectionb10.org
Are you refering to the dirt roads through out the PBs or the actual plow lines or trenches going through the woods?
englishtown042005_5.jpg
 

firetech792

Scout
Aug 26, 2007
70
2
Central NJ
www.sectionb10.org
The plow lines cut down through the root system, cutting off a any means of escape after a fire. And also used for prescribed burning anchor points as some one suggested above. Also to break up large blocks that are going to be prescibe burned. So each block can be lit systematically. And you are right about fires jumping these lines. If a fast moving fire can jump four lanes of the GSP, then you can see that these plow lines will do little to stop a wind pushed fire.

Pete
 

YETI

Scout
Mar 11, 2007
72
0
51
Berlin
Pete, are there alot, if any, trees that need to be removed in order for these machines to make the trenches?

Paul
 

woodjin

Piney
Nov 8, 2004
4,338
326
Near Mt. Misery
Having lived in an area for so long where they were always making new fire breaks I couldn't believe I never saw the machine that did it. Now I have. Thanks for the pic.

Jeff
 

jburd641

Explorer
Jan 16, 2008
410
22
Port Charlotte, Fl.
I don't like walking in them myself. I discovered this today walking the white trail at Batsto. I don't like being so low to the ground or the fact that it was such loose sand. I did like seeing that firebreaks actually work when I got near the end of the loop. There's a great area right before you get to Washington Pike that has one side of wide open pines and the other side is dense underbrush that hasn't burned in a long time. Pretty cool.
 
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