Looking for a trench burner?

After 30 years of manufacturing the Trench Burner, Air Burners made the decision to discontinue the product line in 2026. Today, our FireBox® and BurnBoss® series deliver the same core air curtain burning capability with improved efficiency, portability, and emissions performance.

No. Air Burners no longer manufactures or sells the Trench Burner. If you need a replacement, our team can help you find the right FireBox® or BurnBoss® model for your application.

The best alternative depends on your job. For large-scale operations like landfills, municipalities, or land clearing jobs of any size, the FireBox® Series is the top choice — every model is built on skids and designed to move with you from site to site. For forestry, remote job sites, or applications where tow-behind portability is essential, the Boss® Series is the ideal replacement.

A trench burner uses a high-velocity air curtain blown across the top of an excavated trench to contain and recirculate combustion gases, reducing smoke compared to open burning. However, because every trench is dug differently — different dimensions, different soil, different depth — trench burners were never able to be standardized or EPA tested. Air Burners’ FireBox® and BurnBoss® use the same air curtain principle in a manufactured, above-ground machine with consistent, repeatable performance that has been independently tested and proven by the EPA.

The FireBox® and BurnBoss® require no excavation, deploy faster, and — critically — have been EPA tested. A trench burner never could be, because no two trenches are the same. Trench dimensions vary by operator, soil type, and job site, making standardized emissions testing impossible. Air Burners’ machines are built to consistent specifications, which is what allowed the EPA to test and approve  them. For any operation where compliance and accountability matter, there is no comparison.

Yes. The BurnBoss® is fully towable and can be on-site and operational within minutes. It’s built for land clearing, forestry, and remote job sites. It delivers efficient, low-smoke burning with low ground disturbance.

Is FireBox® better than a trench burner for large operations? Yes. The FireBox® Series handles high volumes, moves with your job site on skids, and carries something a trench burner never could — EPA-tested emissions performance. Because no two trenches are the same, there is nothing consistent enough for the EPA to test. The FireBox® is a manufactured machine built to exact specifications, tested and proven, giving large operations the compliance documentation and performance reliability a trench simply cannot provide.

Absolutely. Air curtain burners like the FireBox® and BurnBoss® are specifically designed for debris burning — wood waste, land clearing material, storm debris, and more — without the need for a trench. In most cases they burn cleaner and faster than a traditional trench setup.

They’re related but not identical — and the difference matters more than most people realize. Both use an air curtain to manage combustion, but a trench burner relies on a hole in the ground. The problem is that your trench doesn’t look like anyone else’s trench. Different operators dig to different depths, widths, and profiles, which means emissions performance varies every single time — and EPA testing was never possible as a result. Air Burners’ machines are manufactured to consistent specifications and have been EPA tested. You get proven, documented performance on every job.

Anyone currently using or shopping for a trench burner for land clearing, forestry, landfill operations, municipal waste, or remote job sites. If you’re not sure which machine fits your application, contact our team and we’ll help you find the right solution.