Cavalry Family Housing fires up innovative burn process at Fort Cavazos

FORT CAVAZOS, Texas — Cavalry Family Housing, Fort Cavazos’ on-post privatized housing partner, is building 580 homes in Heritage Heights for junior-enlisted Soldiers. Part of the process to continue construction involves clearing upward of 1,000 trees to make way for new housing. But removing the trees comes at a cost, both environmentally and financially, explained Chris Albus, Cavalry Family Housing project director.

In the beginning of March, the company implemented a fiery solution — one that saves money.

Cavalry Family Housing contracted a trench burner to streamline the process of disposing of cleared trees.

A trench burner is an incinerator equipped with an air curtain that burns wood and organic waste in long, narrow pits or trenches and traps the smoke and re-burns
the embers.

Trees are dumped into a trench, a controlled burn is ignited and a metal manifold or burner system, often called an air curtain burner, is positioned along the top of the trench.

The burner blows a high-velocity curtain of air across the top of the trench that helps to contain the heat, increase combustion efficiency and reduce visible smoke by promoting more complete burning.

The machine helps burn through the work, figuratively and literally, Albus conveyed.

“It burns up to 10 tons of wood per hour and runs at 2,000 degrees,” he said. “So far, we’ve processed 800 to 1,000 medium and large trees — about 2,100 tons that would have otherwise gone to the landfill,” said Albus.

The trench also saves money for the housing project.

“Any savings generated will be reinvested directly into these homes, maximizing every opportunity to improve quality of life for our junior-enlisted Soldiers and families,” he added.

The benefits continue even further for the project and the community. The burned trees produce a very high-quality biochar, a carbon-rich solid, that has many uses, Albus said.

“That biochar can be mixed with soil to make it more fertile. It improves water retention of the soil and promotes better aeration,” he explained. “We’re currently using it in the soil here in Heritage Heights. But there’s potential for future uses by our residents as well.”

Jackelyn Ferrer-Perez, sustainability program manager, Environmental Management Branch, Fort Cavazos Directorate of Public Works, said the directorate approves of the trench burner initiative.

“It’s just a very cost efficient, very effective … way to manage woody debris,” she said.

She acknowledged the negativity surrounding tree removal and explained the process’ significance.

“The stigma attached to removing trees for some people can have a negative connotation, but there’s a lot of beneficial reasons for removing trees. A lot of it’s from a safety perspective for our residents; the other aspect is just responsible vegetation management,” Ferrer-Perez explained. “We carefully manage the vegetation so that other trees and shrubs have the space and resources they need to thrive.”

Albus agreed.

“We have a choice — either repurpose it back into the environment as a mixture and a fertilizer to the soil or send all those trees into the landfill, where they take up valuable space,” he said. “I believe this is the better, more sustainable option.”

Albus emphasized the importance of putting residents at ease about the safety of the process.

“(The trench burner is) positioned 200 feet from any obstacles, there’s always a water truck on site, there’s two people manning the site at all times, it doesn’t produce any smoke, and we don’t burn if the winds exceed 15 knots,” Albus explained. “Safety is out top priority in every aspect of how we’re operating.”

Albus estimated they will complete the burns by the end of the month.

For questions or concerns, contact Cavalry Family Housing at cavalryfh.com or 254-220-4799, or call the Fort Cavazos DPW Environmental Management Branch at 254-287-8714.