THANK YOU DIRECTOR TIM LOWRIMORE AND THE GFC!
We received the great news in early February that the GFC had approved aerial ignition by drone for prescribed fire on private land. I had been following the developments on this since this firing technique began being implemented on public lands. After a number of very successful fires, the hierarchy in the GFC decided to allow a trial on private land and I quickly volunteered a 300+/- acre tract of thinned pines, primarily loblolly with a few acres of slash. The Google Earth image below shows the boundaries of the burn block we successfully burned on February 21, 2024 in the first application of drone ignition on private land in Georgia.
In coordination with R. T. Lumpkin, the GFC Prescribed Fire Burn Center Coordinator and drone pilot, we worked with Mark Shutters, the chief ranger for the Sumter/Schley GFC office to staff and conduct the burn.
R. T. Lumpkin conducts pre-burn planning and safety meeting with GFC crew.
Director Lowrimore sent the GFC helicopter and two pilots to monitor the burn and take aerial photos for later evaluation. They remained in contact with R. T. and the crew on the ground as the burn progressed.
The weather the day of the burn was perfect for our fire and conducive to the use of the aerial ignition. The temperature ranged from 50-60 degrees Fahrenheit, with humidity in the mid 20s, and light and variable winds from the east. The plan was to light the west side of the burn block first, followed by the north and south sides and allow the fires to back away from the breaks before launching the drone.
Shortly after 10:00, we began lighting along the breaks.
Under the watchful eye of Chief Ranger Mark Shutters, I prepare to light the test fire.
My sister-in-law, Donna Gawlas, uses a drip torch for the first time, assisting with the test fire on the farm that has been in her family for 75 years.
My son-in-law, Kemble Teague started lighting at the NW corner of the burn block while the GFC rangers from the local office started on the SW corner.
Once the backing fires gave us a safe buffer along the harrowed firebreaks, the burn participants and spectators gathered at the drone launch site near the middle of the burn block. R. T. gave us a short course on the aerial ignition process.
The source of ignition dropped from the drone is a plastic “egg” approximately half the size of a ping pong ball containing potassium permanganate. Immediately prior to ejection from the drone, glycol (common antifreeze) is injected into the egg.
I found the following brief explanation of the chemical process that results from the mixing of the two chemicals: The oxidation of glycol by potassium permanganate is an example of spontaneous combustion—combustion that occurs at or even below room temperature. The reaction proceeds relatively slowly at first; however, the rate of the reaction begins to increase as the heat produced in this exothermic reaction accumulates.
R. T. demonstrated how the process works by injecting two of the eggs with the glycol and tossing them on the ground. The chemical reaction produced heat excessive enough to ignite the grass where the eggs landed.
The photo and video below demonstrate the process.
A closeup of the egg with the drone in the background
After the demonstration of the egg ignition, R. T. and Beau Singleton prepared the drone for launch. R. T. programmed and flew the drone on a grid pattern, launching an average of one egg per acre. His flight plan used a back and forth pattern, with the parallel runs separated by 200 feet, and eggs dropped every 130 feet within the burn block. We used approximately 300 eggs at a cost of thirty cents each, for a total of $90.
As indicated in the video above, R. T. waited until the ground crew with drip torches confirmed the security of the breaks before he launched the drone.
R. T. and Beau prepare the drone for launch.
The drone is loaded and ready to fly.
Once the drone was prepared and the breaks were confirmed to be secure, the first ignition flight was launched at 11:15, about an hour after the drip torch lighting of the strips along the north, south, and west breaks. The video below shows the launch of the first ignition flight. (You will hear the sound of the GFC helicopter in the background.)
This closeup of the drone controller screen shows the grid pattern executed by the drone and the white circles show the drop locations shortly after R. T. started lighting in the NW corner of the burn block.
Approximately 75 minutes after the first launch, the burn was nearing completion as the 300 or so spot fires started merging together over the entire block. The photos below provide evidence of the integrity of the burn.
This photo is on the eastern edge of the small stand of slash pines. The black smoke shows the welcomed consumption of a large number of volunteer pines that had nearly taken over this stand.
This is a ground level closeup of the fire in the loblolly stand.
Photo taken from the north end of the burn block, facing southwest with the GFC helicopter in the foreground.
This view is facing west. The launch site for the drone was approximately at the intersection of the shadow with the sunny spot.
The following photos show the progress of the fire as viewed from the GFC helicopter.
This photo was taken at 11:12 looking west over the drone launch area at the smoke from the backing fire set by drip torches on the west line.
This photo was taken at11:17 Looking north from the south line along the backing fire on the west line.
This photo was taken at 11:19 looking west at the smoke from the north backing fire.
This photo was taken at 12:44 , looking north as the fire is nearly complete (two and one half hours since we started lighting the backing fires along the breaks).
Note the total absence of smoke on LaCrosse Road showing the smoke management benefits of even a 4 mph east wind.
This photo was taken at 12:46, looking west. Again, note the complete absence of smoke on LaCrosse Road.
When the burn was progressing well and according to plan, two women stopped by and showed a LOT of interest in what we were doing, so Donna and I took time to explain the process and the reasons for the fire. One of the women was from New York and was very fascinated with the entire operation.
Photographic evidence of the benefits of converting another citizen to prescribed fire as this New Yorker demonstrates her newly acquired skills with a drip torch.
As my “report” on our Prescribed Fire by Drone ends, I am concluding with two photos that explain our commitment to forest stewardship and our family’s love for the land.
As indicated by the sign, Jesse McLendon, my father-in-law, purchased his first tract of land in the LaCrosse community in Schley County in 1948. He was a member of the Greatest Generation, serving with distinction in World War II in the U. S. Army Air Force as a tail gunner in the air war against Germany.
He would be impressed at the major breakthroughs in aviation and would have been proudly and humbly watching the piloting skills R. T. demonstrated, while executing a picture perfect prescribed burn on a loblolly pine plantation growing in the soil he worked tirelessly for nearly 40 years growing row crops and livestock to support his family.
The charge for our family is to continue the stewardship practices he taught us, while teaching it to our grandchildren, and to pass the love of the land and a firm knowledge of the care it requires to future generations.
Thank you, Mr. Jesse, for entrusting us with this responsibility. We do not take this responsibility lightly!
Mr. Jesse M. McLendon (1915-2003)—“The Mayor of LaCrosse”
Summary
It was an honor for us to host this burn alongside the GFC professionals who executed this cutting edge application for prescribed fire. It will prove to be a force multiplier for the limited staff of the GFC and accomplish R. T.’s goal of “getting more fire on the ground.”
This is another tool that can be used in a broad range of applications, increasing the acreage that can be burned during our limited burn windows each year. Those involved in timber management recognize proper utilization of prescribed fire as THE most cost effective silvicultural practice we can employ in improving aesthetics, promoting timber stand health and growth, benefiting wildlife, and protecting the environment.
Once again, I thank the dedicated professionals who work daily on our behalf and on behalf of the citizens of Georgia as they serve faithfully with the Georgia Forestry Commission.
Mike Harrison (and family)