By Kay Ledbetter, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
Whereas the entire price of the harm brought on by wildfires that consumed greater than 1.5 million acres of grassland and pastures in 4 states won’t ever be absolutely recovered, landowners can considerably scale back the price of rebuilding fences. And at an estimated price of $10,000 per mile for brand spanking new fence, that’s no small financial savings.
That’s as a result of, whereas wildfire can go away posts broken and in want of substitute, the barbed wire might nonetheless be usable. And being able to reuse the barbed wire from a fence after a grass hearth can scale back the restoration prices for the landowner.”
“Fences are one of many vary developments typically broken in fires,” stated Ted McCollum, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service beef cattle specialist in Amarillo. “Definitely burned picket posts and stays have to get replaced. However the harm to the barbed wire could also be lower than it seems and one assumes.”
Steve Amosson, AgriLife Extension economist in Amarillo, estimated fencing may very well be the second main expense tied to the fires on the burned acres. Estimating half can be repaired and half changed, he stated the associated fee may very well be round $6 million to ranchers within the Texas Panhandle rebuilding the 480,000 acres burned.
Amosson stated an estimated 975 miles of fence had been affected. To restore the fence, the associated fee is $2,500 per mile; to switch the fence, the associated fee is $10,000 per mile.
“Analysis offers info ranchers can use to make choices associated to fences,” stated Danny Nusser, AgriLife Extension regional program chief. “Figuring out {that a} fence is steady and repairs are ample may very well be worthwhile in making economical choices.”
Analysis was carried out by Oklahoma State College to look at the consequences of grassland fires on barbed wire, he stated. The research examined Class 1, 12 1/2-gauge, double-strand barbed wire.
The wire was about 14 years outdated when the research was carried out, McCollum defined. The entire wire examined within the research originated from the identical lot at buy. The fences had been constructed from the wire 13-14 years earlier than the research. Samples of wire had been collected from these fences and unused wire from the unique buy lot that had been saved since buy.
In response to the research, wire collected from the fences had been subjected to grass fires zero occasions, one time, two occasions or six occasions throughout the earlier 13 years. These grass fires occurred within the dormant season between February and April.
The unused wire and wire collected from the fences was examined for results of fireplace frequency on breaking power and zinc coating remaining on the wire, McCollum stated.
“On this research, in comparison with the unused wire and wire from the fences that had not been burned, the publicity to grass hearth or the variety of occasions the wire was uncovered to fireplace didn’t adversely have an effect on the breaking power or zinc coating on the Class 1, 12 1/2-gauge barbed wire,” he stated.
The breaking power and zinc coating, which offers corrosion resistance, weren’t totally different between the unused wire, or the wire from the fences that had been burned as much as six occasions the earlier 13 years, McCollum stated.
“So, the research confirmed that grass hearth didn’t have an effect on the breaking power, zinc coating or ductility of the wire,” he stated. “After a hearth, the galvanized floor of the wire is usually stained or discolored. However, this shouldn’t be interpreted as failure of the coating or galvanization of the wire. This discoloration comes from iron-zinc alloy layers within the wire and doesn’t characterize a failure of the pure zinc coating on the wire.”
McCollum stated the researchers concluded that subjecting zinc-coated barbed wire to grass fires is not going to scale back its service life or its corrosion resistance.
“So there could also be events the place they should change the fence, however they shouldn’t robotically assume that the wire must be utterly changed due to the grass hearth,” he stated.
