Welcome to TheOhioOutdoors
Wanting to join the rest of our members? Login or sign up today!
Login / Join

Controlled burns

Bighoun52

Active Member
545
53
In the woods
Some know I bought some ground last year in south east Ohio. Coming from pa we are very restricted as private land owners on doing any controlled burns. I believe from what I have read land owners in Ohio can do burns. First anyone know the exact laws that have to be followed? Second has anyone done many? Never been a part of one and would like to implement some burns on our ground. Any info would be appreciated!
 

"J"

Git Off My Lawn
Supporting Member
56,741
274
North Carolina
Some know I bought some ground last year in south east Ohio. Coming from pa we are very restricted as private land owners on doing any controlled burns. I believe from what I have read land owners in Ohio can do burns. First anyone know the exact laws that have to be followed? Second has anyone done many? Never been a part of one and would like to implement some burns on our ground. Any info would be appreciated!
@jagermeister
 
  • Like
Reactions: Big_Holla
Don't know the laws on it at all but there should be a local FD to your area, either volunteer by township or city FD that you can talk to about it. At the very least you would want to inform them if and when you plan to do it just in case you need their help. Up here you need an actual permit registered with your local FD.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Bighoun52

at1010

*Supporting Member*
4,943
139
It’s very dependent on part of state. Se Ohio is mostly considered woodland burns which is really expensive.

if burning crp in western Ohio, totally different discussion. I’d get with @jagermeister and your local nrcs office. I know the nrcs out of Cambridge Ohio said they are working towards getting better dollars allocated for woodland burns but the govt wheels turn slow.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Bighoun52 and 5Cent

jagermeister

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
18,060
223
Ohio
Google is your friend. ODNR, Ohio Division of Forestry, and OEPA have several informative webpages explainthe open burning laws in Ohio as well links to the specific code sections.

Outside of any local ordinances, Ohio has an open burning ban for the months of March, April, May, October & November, between the hours of 6:00 am and 6:00 pm. Anyone wanting to conduct burns during those months is required to obtain a waiver from the Ohio Division of Forestry.

Details here…

Can private citizens conduct their own prescribed/controlled burns? Yes. But there’s some red tape involved.

If you don’t have experience conducting controlled burns, I strongly suggest you hire a professional, or at least reach out to your local fire department or private lands biologist. Fire is a useful tool but is obviously extremely dangerous if used carelessly. Burning leaf litter in a timber stand may not seem very dangerous… but throw in low humidity, strong wind, or steep topography, and you can get your tits in a ringer real quick.
 

Bighoun52

Active Member
545
53
In the woods
Google is your friend. ODNR, Ohio Division of Forestry, and OEPA have several informative webpages explainthe open burning laws in Ohio as well links to the specific code sections.

Outside of any local ordinances, Ohio has an open burning ban for the months of March, April, May, October & November, between the hours of 6:00 am and 6:00 pm. Anyone wanting to conduct burns during those months is required to obtain a waiver from the Ohio Division of Forestry.

Details here…

Can private citizens conduct their own prescribed/controlled burns? Yes. But there’s some red tape involved.

If you don’t have experience conducting controlled burns, I strongly suggest you hire a professional, or at least reach out to your local fire department or private lands biologist. Fire is a useful tool but is obviously extremely dangerous if used carelessly. Burning leaf litter in a timber stand may not seem very dangerous… but throw in low humidity, strong wind, or steep topography, and you can get your tits in a ringer real quick.
Thank you
 
  • Like
Reactions: 5Cent

5Cent

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
12,291
212
North Central Ohio
LMAO....have only set the woods on fire 2x at the inlaws farm in Castalia. Growing up and until about 6-7yrs ago, I never knew Ohio had a burning ban. Makes perfect sense, but it is a bitch as a law abiding land owner.

Sheriff stopped a few times when saying he could see the glow from Rt 2, well within the 2-3am range, so guess we were good lol.
 

LonewolfNopack

Junior Member
1,503
127
The woods
I am a licensed RX Fire manager in Ohio. We burn with a volunteer PF chapter. I won't go into regulations but I will say if you don't think you can handle it then you probably can't. RX burns are no joke and even with everything done correctly (great fire breaks, multiple UTVs with fire suppression, thousands of dollars of gear, people with experience, etc) things can get hairy VERY quick. I've aquired a wicked respect of fire from doing these burns. I won't even burn our own land without a crew, multiple RX fire bosses on site and a full burn plan. Its not rocket science and needs to become more mainstream in Ohio, but with our high human population and fragmented landscape we will never be able to burn like they do down south.
 
Last edited:

jagermeister

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
18,060
223
Ohio
I am a licensed RX Fire manager in Ohio. We burn with a volunteer PF chapter. I won't go into regulations but I will say if you don't think you can handle it then you probably can't. RX burns are no joke and even with everything done correctly (great fire breaks, multiple UTVs with fire suppression, thousands of dollars of gear, people with experience, etc) things can get hairy VERY quick. I've aquired a wicked respect of fire from doing these burns. I won't even burn our own land without a crew, multiple RX fire bosses on site and a full burn plan. Its not rocket science and needs to become more mainstream in Ohio, but with our high human population and fragmented landscape we will never be able to burn like they do down south.
I call it “healthy fear.” And agree with you 100% on this.
 

P8riot

Active Member
871
37
Carbon, In
I freak out when the flames in my burn barrel and fire pit get a little out of hand. Purposely setting fire to the woods would give me anxiety!
 

GoetsTalon

Senior Member
Supporting Member
4,293
128
Walbridge oh
If I went to land management for the parks I would need to get my red card certification for wildlands firefighting. It's offered through the ODNR. Might be worth going through to get some training. It's all hands on deck when they do burns and it's both big woods and crp fields. Like lonewolf said. Lots of equipment.
 
  • Like
Reactions: giles and Bighoun52

Wildlife

Denny
Supporting Member
5,248
191
Ross County, Ohio
20220511_152816.jpg
20220511_152801.jpg

CRP field down the road from my place where a team of people performed a controlled burn successfully. The field today looks beautiful too!

Fires are no joke and things can escalate very quickly when the unforeseen happens. I've lost life and property due to out of control fires. Do whatever it takes to insure your safety and everyone else first! Treat the task at hand as if it's the most dangerous and overreaching job/project of your life if you ever do decide to take it on and tackle it yourself.

Some real good advice, recommendations and/or suggestions already mentioned.

@theotherfarm, where I'm currently clearing an acre of timber for the landowner so a new house can be built in the summer for their granddaughter. I already made prior plans of doing a few large controlled burns when I'm nearly finished up there, sometime near the spring time when everything starts to turn green again and the earth is nice and moist. It'll have to be coordinated and signed off/approved with the local township authorities first though. There will be two large fires for that property sometime in the spring.

I've been apart of controlled burns throughout my past, both at a professional compacity and personal level. Fires as we all know are unpredictable, especially when things start to go sideways, and/or whenever Mother Nature doesn't play along nicely.

When it comes to controlled burns, I always plan for the worst, going above and beyond what I may think will do the job, and truly hope for the best, and whatever I think I've done to prevent any potential out of control fire on my own, I'll still ask for help from others, or try to get as many voluntaries as I can because I've seen and experienced some of the smallest fires that turned into infernos' in a matter of seconds, and things got more than interesting enough for me at the time. These kinds of jobs will age you, especially the bigger they are, trust in that!

Best of luck to you and congratulations on the new property!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Bighoun52