What to do with all the brush.....

[momtomany]

As midwinter is here, I am looking at the land, and we have tons of brush, and tree limbs down. This is over about 8 acres. Guess it was just time for some trees (we have a pretty wooded area). I don't have a place on the land that is not wooded, except for the yard and drive (which has trees overhanging) to burn. The dirt road we are on is heavily wooded, and tons of trees hanging over, so I don't really want to burn there. Also, not sure if I can take care of it all on my own. Any ideas?

[rambler]

8 acres is a lot ot clear out yourself, unless you have some good tools.

Would you want a small clearing somewhere in your woods?

Sell off some lumber or firewood, have someone make it there.

I'm not toalking logging the whole place off, just a 1/2 acre or so, give you an opening. No big time outfit, just a portable sawmill, or a local firewood hobbiest.

Need to deal with insurance & all that, and not a money maker, maybe a little spending money when you are done?

Clears things out, and gives you a spot to continue maitenence of the property on your own.

--->Paul

[Bearfootfarm]

You could rent a chipper and turn it to mulch, or do what I did and have a GIANT brushpile for critter habitat

[ForestCoCabin]

"No matter what timber harvest methods you
decide to use, keep in mind three basic
principles: protect dead wood; protect perch
and nest trees and clean your house, not your
woods."
Good advise if you want wildlife to stay around.
I cut 'viewing lanes' at my place and they really opened up the back five without whacking down everything in site. Here is a good article on managing your woodland for wildlife (if that's what you want).
http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/wildlife/publ/tocutornot.pdf

[Harry Chickpea]

There are tops, and there is brush. Tops are good for firewood. Brush can be good for wildlife, but I've also found it to be great to put in a ravine and crush down with whatever equipment you have. The brush will slow water flow and not only prevent the ravine from washing out, but build up the area in back of it. Once all of the firewood and kindling are out of brush, you may be able to spread it and go over it with a bush hog.

[Humburger]

I agree that you should probably leave most of it. You can, if you can use some of it for firewood, slowly work you way through it, leaving what you can't use. We make huge piles and leave it for wildlife. It gets smaller, then we add more to it, every year. We only have a couple of acres and we have two piles. I believe those piles are what keeps the wildlife from destroying our gardens. They have plenty of habitat of their own...

[tinknal]

Make brush piles. Rabbits will nest there. Hunt or trap rabbits. Eat rabbits.

[MELOC]

let it rot.

[Old Vet]

Put it all in mother nature compost pile and let it compost. In other words make a pile of brush or limbs and let it rot. You don't need to get it all this year or any year. Pile it up or let it rot where it is but only the tree limbs as long as they are not too many to provide fuel for a forest fire. Clear lanes to prevent forest fires and make a few clear lanes so that you can drive through the forest and you will be doing good. I did this and place a feeder on a clear spot to feed the wildlife and keep them out of my garden. You will help the soil in the forest by letting it rot where it is.

[springvalley]

Piles for bunnies , or a wood chipper, thats what I would do .

[woodsy]

Although brush on the forest floor can be unsightly for some, it serves a good purpose by adding nutrients back into the system as it decays and like others have said, some piles here and there are excellent habitat for birds foraging and wildlife hideouts.
I have also found that it gets covered up every year as the leaves and pine needles fall.
If you can break it down some it will lay on the ground where it will rot away faster.

[Jenn]

What is your over all plan for this wood? We have a 3 acre parcel next to us we bought provisionally and looks like we get to keep it. Some day I suppose someone will build a house there (one of my kids or after we're gone via death or moving) but for now I consider it a small nature preserve. Had the neighbor understood that he might have known why I went so ballistic when his kids went crazy there on their 4 wheelers over Christmas.

I relish the buzzard droppings, the wood so dense my dogs have to go around, the dead trees with woodpecker nesting holes, the layering of leaves over fallen branches, that it is so thickly wooded the only poison ivy I've seen is a vine headed straight up the tree for 50 feet.

[Micheal]

I'd say, unless it's in your way or really bothers you by being there, let it lay and rot. But if'n you just gotta rid the place of the stuff, then pile or chip it.

Around here if it's in the yard (where I mow) or on the driveway then it's gone; piled somewhere else. Other than that, where the stuff lands, falls, or is put; that's where it stays till nature deems otherwise...

That is unless it's firewood.......

[Cabin Fever]

Our place is on 40 acres of woods. Over the years, we cleared areas for the cabin, house, shed, 800' driveway, garden and yard, as well as, about 1 mile of hiking trails. We've always made brush piles of the limbs and firewood of the larger stuff. Never have burned any of the piles.

[geo in mi]

I think it would be fighiting a losing battle with Mother Nature to clean up every stick and branch (and I would be very careful about burning anything), but you might consider a yearly Springtime activity to make and maintain walking/riding trails by following the meandering clearings and wide spots. For the rest, you could make Mother Nature think she is winning.

[fishhead]

I don't understand what you are asking.

Are you trying to find a use for the limbs and brush?

Are you trying to make it look like a giant park?

If you ran all the small tops and brush through a chipper I think you could make a compost pile heater that would generate heat for many years. The heat could be extracted and used to heat your house or shop.

[Tricky Grama]

We have 20 ac, about 10 is wooded, sprinkled here & there. (Don't live there yet so it's hard to get a lot done) We have piles of brush/dead wood & periodically burn it or leave smaller piles in the woods for wildlife. Which sometimes means RATS!
If we had the $$ for a chipper that attaches to the tractor, we'd be doing that.

Patty

[fordy]

...................A brush pile in the south is prime breeding ground for Coral snakes as well as Copper heads ! The further east of texas one goes Coral snakes become more abundant and since their venom is like a cobra a brush pile isn't necessarily a positive thing . , fordy

[geo in mi]

Originally Posted by fordy

...................A brush pile in the south is prime breeding ground for Coral snakes as well as Copper heads ! The further east of texas one goes Coral snakes become more abundant and since their venom is like a cobra a brush pile isn't necessarily a positive thing . , fordy

OP is from Michigan, not too much of a problem here, just the Eastern Massaugua. Step on him and he bursts into tears........

[CocalicoSprings]

I will lend you my goats! They clean it up in no time....