Originally Posted By: Bill D.
Originally Posted By: GaSoPond
...manage the timber with controlled burns....


You are a braver man than me my friend! I would never start a "controlled" fire under pine trees and all that pine tar. If you want a demonstration, take a small green pine branch and/or some pine needles and throw them in a campfire.


Controlled burns of planted pines in Georgia are very common. During burn season it's not uncommon to see a stand of pines undergoing a controlled burn of underbrush on a daily basis. Controlled burns are necessary if you want the healthiest stand of pines possible. Now I wouldn't do it myself. Most people get the local Forestry Commission to do it. They know what they're doing. Below is some reading on the need for controlled burns in pine stands.

http://www.gfc.state.ga.us/forest-manage...-burn/index.cfm