Clearing land

[frogmommy]

OK, so we have a crew out back right now taking about 2 acres worth of trees so we can expand our "farm". I know they are going to leave a mess, it's inevitable. Does anyone have any advice on how to get the land from looking like an atomic explosion to being ready for animals and crops?

[JayandTanya]

Originally Posted by frogmommy

OK, so we have a crew out back right now taking about 2 acres worth of trees so we can expand our "farm". I know they are going to leave a mess, it's inevitable. Does anyone have any advice on how to get the land from looking like an atomic explosion to being ready for animals and crops?

Well theres no easy way about it, I would suggest burning all brush and tops, And finding a local "stump dump" and collecting the firewood for future use, other than that its just hard work. Thats my 2cents.

[frogmommy]

Should we plant it all with rye grass or some other kind of cover for the first year, or can we start putting animals out there one we get it cleared? I know I am going to do a cover crop over where I plan to plant next year, but I wanted to start something small this year just to get used to working and walking out there everyday.

[ronbre]

we had to clear for our son and they did say leaving a top on the stumps helped in their removal..so that is a suggestion..also we chipped the tree tops for mulch

[JayandTanya]

Originally Posted by frogmommy

Should we plant it all with rye grass or some other kind of cover for the first year, or can we start putting animals out there one we get it cleared? I know I am going to do a cover crop over where I plan to plant next year, but I wanted to start something small this year just to get used to working and walking out there everyday.

Well if it was me and if I had acesss to a chipper I would chip everything and spread it out then begin using the land, If you dont have access to a chipper I would clean things up as best as I could i.e grade with the tractor and toss down any extra seed you have

[Beeman]

What do you plan on planting there in the future? Is this going to be plowed land? Have they removed the stumps and roots? Some type of cover crop might be necessary just to stop erosion of the bare soil. That top layer is probably pretty good soil and will wash away quickly. Some areas of NC have guidelines for erosion control especially if the silt drains into creeks or rivers.

[Watcher48]

Just be prepared to be Gleaning the roots and stuff for at least a couple years. We did this when I was kid on a LOt bigger scale. Usually started with wheat and oats. But pieces of stump and root will work their way up for a few years. BE VERY CAREFUL if you plow. You can snag a root and get a real jolt or worse. Better to use a subsoiler with spring-loaded shovels better yet we used what was called a "Bull disk" for the first years. Its a big offset disk with big ole blades on it. Works almost like a plow

[Windy_jem]

How do you get rid of all the stumps? I have tons of saplings growing in my woods that we are trying to clear.
(sorry for the hijack)

[Watcher48]

Originally Posted by Windy_jem

How do you get rid of all the stumps? I have tons of saplings growing in my woods that we are trying to clear.
(sorry for the hijack)

Buy a D8 or Burn em

If ya can't buldoze them and ya got corncobs. Pile the corncobs on top of the stump and burn. Corncobs burn into the stump and burn it out.

Clearing ground takes a long time. I think you can pour salt on or around the stump and that will keep it from growing the saplings.

Better hurry or you'll have to buy carbon credits.

[just_sawing]

If you are going to have pasture there is an easy solution.
1. Clear the big stuff out by laying the tops on the ground. The tops now are in the air supported by branches. If you lay everything within a foot of the ground it will rot quickly.
2 cut everything above five inches and drag it to a central place for fire wood. Then have a person with a forestry mulcher come in and shred it all. This will prep the land for planting , give you a cleared place and not destroy the land. Burning which has been done for every is destructive to the land. Your land has a balance and when the D8 come it destroys the balance.

[agmantoo]

The information provided is insufficient. Prep for crops is different than prep for pasture. Is there a budget? Do you have any machinery? How physically fit are the person(s) that will be doing work? How tight is the time frame? Are you prepared to apply lime and fertilizer? Do you have access to chicken litter or lagoon waste?

[PrairieOaks]

We just finished about 50 acres of old oak savanna clearing. Taking all but the burr oaks. Multi-year project. First sold and harvested the sawlogs, then the pulp (everything 5 inches and greater) and then hired a forestry mower (Fecon type) to clear everything else and grind the stumps level with the ground. The next spring I frost seeded and we have and will mow once a year and rotationally graze (3-4 times though). Long process but we end up with a good pasture and the topsoil is not disturbed. I would never have a Cat clear a wooded area. What a mess and really screws the topsoil. Around here the 'farmers' who think they can clear and crop use a track hoe to remove the stumps. Mostly the good soil is gone by the time they are done.

[just_sawing]

PrairieOaks You are so correct you need a cookie. Typical Forest has less than 6 inches of top soil. Clearing with a dozier and fire is wrong on so many ways. Utilizing the Pulp Logs is a alternitive most don't use.

[frogmommy]

Sorry, I realized I left out a ton of important information.

First of all, we are on a budget of about $4-5,000, which is what they say we should expect from the timber. The work will be done mostly by my husband and myself. They are pulling the stumps out of the front 1/2 acre for their trucks to pull in and out so I figured that area would be good for planting. The rest of the area, about an acre and a half will be where we are going to put animals with a good amount of area between them. I've already looked into renting a stump grinder and chipper for the leftovers. It shouldn't be too bad, I just don't know what to do with the stumps they've already pulled b/c they're full of dirt and I didn't want to burn unless I absolutely have to.

For animals we were hoping to have chickens, goats, maybe a couple of pigs and bees. I also wanted to have an area to plant fruit trees.

.

[Yvonne's hubby]

I would cut the tops up for firewood, and pile the brush on the stumps. Next step is called onsite composting, IE let it rot. Take the five grand and buy beer with it, by the time the beer is gone, the brush will be too.

[jabez08]

Originally Posted by Windy_jem

How do you get rid of all the stumps? I have tons of saplings growing in my woods that we are trying to clear.
(sorry for the hijack)

The land that we purchased was timbered about 5 years ago and there were stumps everywhere. I found that dozers work the best and we have been using a D6. The catch to a dozer is where do you put the stumps once removed. I'm not sure what the terrain is where you are at but here its mountains so we have been pushing them in a holler and covering them up. How many stumps do you have?

[jabez08]

Originally Posted by frogmommy

Sorry, I realized I left out a ton of important information.

First of all, we are on a budget of about $4-5,000, which is what they say we should expect from the timber. The work will be done mostly by my husband and myself. They are pulling the stumps out of the front 1/2 acre for their trucks to pull in and out so I figured that area would be good for planting. The rest of the area, about an acre and a half will be where we are going to put animals with a good amount of area between them. I've already looked into renting a stump grinder and chipper for the leftovers. It shouldn't be too bad, I just don't know what to do with the stumps they've already pulled b/c they're full of dirt and I didn't want to burn unless I absolutely have to.

For animals we were hoping to have chickens, goats, maybe a couple of pigs and bees. I also wanted to have an area to plant fruit trees.

.

Depending on how many stumps you have a stump grinder may or may not be the best option. My advice would be to plant some winter rye grass and let the stumps sit for a year or two. It shouldn't bother the animals at all as they will eat the grass around them. Our land was timbered 5 years ago and they had cows grazing on the land before we bought it. As for the ones that are already pulled out I would think that burning would not be an option because they are full of dirt.

If you really want to get them out check into renting a dozer or an escavator and if operating one is not an option then I would see about paying someone who can operate to come in and remove them. In your budget you should be just fine. It really shouldnt take them more than a couple of days to remove them if you find someone who knows what they are doing. OH ONE MORE THING.....if you are going to use a dozer be sure to tell the timber people to leave at least a foot of the stump so that you can get leverage to pull it out. They didnt do that with ours and we had to push the sides of the ground down before we could get them out.

[MushCreek]

When we had some clearing done, he simply shoved the trees over with a big excavator. A really big tree would require digging around the roots some. Once the trees are on the ground, they're much safer to deal with, and the stumps are out of the ground. They piled the brush and stumps and burned them.

[Cabin Fever]

How would like to not have to deal with grubbing out stumps?

This is how my greatgrandfather and grandfather cleared the land they homesteaded on way back at the turn of the last century. My grandfather would climb the tree as high as he could and fastened a rope (or chain depending on tree) to the trunk way up high in the tree's crown. The other end of the rope/chain was attached to a pair of oxen. The oxen simply pulled the tree over. No stumps to deal with! Of course I suppose there was always a beligerent tree that they'd have to hack away some of the roots before it would fall.

If you remember your physics from high school you realize the tremendous mechanical advantage that lever (ie, tree trunk) can give you.

[frogmommy]

Stumps in the ground aren't as big on my list as the ones they already pulled. Can't burn them b/c they're full of dirt, but there really isn't anywhere to put them. We have a small soggy area near the creek where they were thinking about putting them, but I don't know if that will be a good idea. The rain has put work on hold for a few days while the ground dries out, so we have some time to make a few more decisions.