Head firing

Head firing is a technique that burns with the wind or upslope from established control lines.

• Purpose
  • Used for small and large area burns such as broadcast burning of large fields, harvest units, overstory removal and landscape burns
  • Often used in combination with other techniques
• Advantages
  • Rapid, inexpensive
  • Good mass ignition providing sufficient heat for consumption and good smoke dispersal
• Disadvantages
  • High intensity leading to spotting
  • Fuel consumption may be spotty due to rapid rates of spread
  • Large volume of smoke