[KiraSophia]

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

I found a great seeming barn I'm thinking of moving my boys to. They have a lot of pasture land, as well as a lot of unused forest on the edge of the pasture land. The BO told me at some point she wanted to burn down the forest area, clear it, and turn it into more usable space. My potentially stupid question is, is it dangerous for my boys' lungs to be so close to a burning fire like that? I don't want to move them there if it cause them any permanent damage...

[caballero]

Depends on which way the wind is blowing on the day of the burn.

And I'd be more concerned about the potential of a burn going out of control than anything else. Unless whoever does the burn knows exactly what they are doing, it could all go very wrong very quickly.

Besides, timber has $ value. Why would anyone burn it when they could sell it to a harvester?

The more I think about it the more I'd be inclined to stay away.

[CFFarm]

Where are you located? Here, in Fl, burning occasionally is a natural process caused by lightning strikes and keeps the area actually safer. The under brush is kept down. The tree come back quickly. When there has been no fire we do "controlled burns". Hopefully your barn owner knows how to go about any burning safely with the right equipment on hand.

[Alagirl]

Ok, I'd put that down as 'we are planning on putting in that indoor'
if it ain't there, don't expect it to ever materialize....

burning down a woody patch?
I have my doubts that she will get away with that easily - should she put that half-baked hairbrained scheme into action.

Yeah, should she really set a match to it, I would not want my horses near that, but not because of the smoke....

Ok, I might be jaded an cynic, but see if there are any more signs of a potential whackadoodle....because that is pretty crazy as far as improvements go...

[KiraSophia]

Where are you located?

I'm in Oklahoma. People here are always burning something, unfortunately- trash and whatnot. We also have constant grass fires due to how horrifically dry it is. The barn I'm looking at is in more of a suburban area than open country though.

[danceronice]

Well, SOME timber has value. We have a lot of trees on the farm but the inspector flat-out said when he walked it that there wasn't anything that would be worth the cost of coming in and cutting it.

However, unless it's a teeny-tiny wood lot with someone who completely knows what they're doing I'd be really worried about even a "controlled" burn. If it's a suburban area, though, I can't imagine they'd ever get permission to do it, anyway.

[caballero]

I'm in Oklahoma. People here are always burning something, unfortunately- trash and whatnot. We also have constant grass fires due to how horrifically dry it is. The barn I'm looking at is in more of a suburban area than open country though.

I used to live in KS. Controlled grass burns are a lot different than setting fire to a wooded plot full of underbrush and dead leaves, plus the random dead, dry tree.

[ReSomething]

Definitely a head scratcher. If I set my woods on fire it'd make the biggest mess, because trees don't just turn into tidy ash, they leave big old burnt trunks and stumps and then you've got to get the earthmoving equipment out to clean that up. Usually it's done the other way round, knock down the trees, make a big pile and set that on fire.

Agree with others that it's either never going to happen or the BO is a little wacky.

[OveroHunter]

Around here people do controlled burns. I would just verify with her that is the route she plans to go and that she doesn't just strike a match at the edge of her field.

[KiraSophia]

Around here people do controlled burns. I would just verify with her that is the route she plans to go and that she doesn't just strike a match at the edge of her field.

I'm not super knowledgable about farm management stuff like that, but I'm sure that a controlled burn is what she meant. If she did insist on doing so though, could the horses get dangerous smoke inhalation?

[mvp]

I'd cross the fire bridge when I came to it.

If you like the barn, put your horses there and then move 'em for a weekend while the inferno is going on. Problem solved!

[Alagirl]

I'm not super knowledgable about farm management stuff like that, but I'm sure that a controlled burn is what she meant. If she did insist on doing so though, could the horses get dangerous smoke inhalation?

ok, LISTEN:
the smoke inhalation is the least of your worries if she were to set the woods on fire! if the smoke gets to be blown into the direction of your horses, they are in danger other than smoke. I think smoke inhalation is really only a problem in confined spaces, like barn fires...

ask for 30 day notice before she lights a match, so you can move far away from the barn before the neighborhood burns down!

yes, in my neighborhood people constantly burn things: piles of leaves, dead grass in ditches....but never standing trees, and it is not dry here....

[candyappy]

When you say " forest area" you mean tall , mature trees? If she is even considering burning that I would say she is not all there upstairs. How do the horses look that are in her care? How is the facility maintained and kept? If you really like everything but her desire to burn the place down then move there. You might be able to convince her a better idea would be to let people who burn wood to heat their homes in the area can come and cut the trees down instead.

[LauraKY]

They do controlled burns in my county in Kentucky.

[OveroHunter]

The burn is not a big deal if it is a controlled burn, so I would not jump to the conclusion that this is just a crazy lady who is going to burn down a bunch of big trees. If I were the OP, I would confirm with the BO that the fire department will be involved. Then I would arrange a fun weekend away with the horses at a state park while the burn is actually taking place.

[Alagirl]

They do controlled burns in my county in Kentucky.

in a subdivision?
in drought conditions?

[Hpilot]

How do you do a controlled forest fire????

[glitterless]

Does BO have any idea how much work it will be to clean up after the burn? I think a controlled burn could be safe, but it's going to leave such a mess. I can only imagine what it would cost to clean up after the burn and to get the ground ready to be seeded.

I could see her slowly clearing the area and over time expanding the existing pasture, but to just burn down a forested area and turn it into pasture? Not so simple.

[caballero]

How about cutting some freaking trails through the wood?

[Long Spot]

OP, I have no advice, but wanted to let you know your title made me giggle. It's amusing because it's so honest and innocent.

And no, your question isn't stupid.