Page 41 - Moving the Earth_ The Workbook of Excavation

LAND CLEARING AND CONTROLS

LAND CLEARING AND CONTROLS 1.41

Four or five shovels of hot embers may be laid on the ground in a pile, and fine brush, or dry
twigs and wood, piled on it. Or the embers may be sifted down through piled brush. The embers
give a sustained heat and consume little oxygen, so that a strong new fire starts quite quickly.
Feeding. It usually takes at least two people cutting and dragging brush to keep one fire burning
briskly. If it is allowed to burn down, it is good practice to put the unburned ends in the center hot
spot, before piling on more brush.
When a dozer is used, ample supplies of fuel can be brought to the fire, and it is usually well
packed by the pressure of the blade and the weight of the machine if it climbs up on the pile.
The principal problem of dozer feeding is dirt. This tends to block the fire from spreading into
new material, and to smother parts already burning. Every effort must be made to reduce the
amount of dirt by rolling and jostling piles, holding the blade high enough not to dig in, and giv-
ing the vegetation and mud a chance to dry before bringing it in.
A hot fire will burn through quite a lot of soil, but it will seldom burn clean. After it cools, the
remaining stems and stumps can be sifted out by the dozer and used in building the next fire.
Good results in fire feeding are obtained only if most of the new material is placed on top of
the flames.

Burning Piles. If the brush is piled a long time before being burned, dropping a match in it on
a hot day may accomplish its complete removal. If it has been piled only a few hours or a few
days, a fire may be built on the windward side against it but not under it. This fire may be caused
to spread into the heap by keeping it buried under compact brush, so that the fire is fed and the
heat reflected into the pile. If the brush has leaves, it is good practice to cover any place where
flames show through. A strong fire cannot be smothered with hand-piled brush.
Brush piles may be pushed on top of fires by a dozer, placed by a clamshell, or rolled on by a
number of workers using long poles.
If brush is being cut in an area presenting unusual fire hazard, or the cutting is in small, scat-
tered areas, it may be desirable to truck it to a central burning place. A continuous fire may be
maintained with incoming loads dozed or hand-piled onto it, or the brush may be piled to dry and
burned off occasionally.
Brush up to a few inches in diameter can be reduced to chips by a chopping machine, after
which it can either be left on the ground or easily trucked to a dump.

Clamshell. One excellent combination for heavy clearing and burning is a large dozer, prefer-
ably with a rake blade, and a clamshell shovel. The dozer uproots and pushes in brush and trees,
and the clamshell picks them up, shakes dirt out, and places them on top of the fire. See Fig. 1.33.
The clamshell can also maintain a fire, moving in unburned ends, and can bury it under dirt at
the end of the work day.
A clamshell is also often the best tool for high stacking of vegetation that is to be left to rot,
and for burning old piles that need rehandling.

Banking Fires. If the job is not extensive enough to justify the employment of someone at night
to watch the fires, and any flammable material is nearby, they should be buried under a few inches
of clean dirt at the end of the work. Humus or rich topsoil should not be used. The soil cover will
prevent sparks from blowing, will preserve a hot bed for use in the morning, and, if the cover is
not removed, may make a fair grade of charcoal.

FIRE CONTROL

Any contractors burning brush in an area subject to brush or forest fires are subject to heavy
responsibility if one of their fires spreads. Also, in the presence of extensive forest fires from any
cause, contractors may be required by authorities to use their workers and equipment to control