In wildland firefighting, a boneyard is a designated patch of ground scraped completely bare of organic material down to the mineral soil. Crews use this sterile zone to dump and isolate smoldering roots, stumps, and heavy fuels found during mop-up operations. Moving hot material into a boneyard ensures it can burn itself out without igniting adjacent unburned vegetation.
Heard on the job
Drag those smoking roots over to the boneyard so they don't flare up behind us.
Insider tip
Creating a boneyard saves time and water during mop-up, letting heavy fuels safely consume themselves while the crew secures the rest of the line.