The Science of Homesteading

[Shrek]

How many folks do you think actually consider it in their pursuit?

A few days ago I noticed one of the brush scrubs that over the last year has transitioned to scrub tree of about 45 to 50 feet blocking one of the doors to an unused storage building at the back of my property.

While I see value of the now 10 inch diameter trunk to keep the shed closed, I don't want the scrub tree to grow larger or taller collapsing the old shed in case I plan to use it again.

So started the process of Homesteading Science.

Yesterday I first used the pole saw to cut out the smaller scrub brush without getting into the briars.

I then used machete and hoe to clear my way to the large scrub tree.

After extending the pole saw to its full 25 foot length I gauged how near the 2 to 3 inch diameter limb shoots I could reach from the ground with my pole saw and began cutting the limbs at a 70 degree angle downward left to right so that when the cut through passed the 50% point the gravitational weight combined with the saw blade tension started to barber chair stress break the limbs so they fell to the right as I stepped back out of the drop zone area.

Yesterday using my curved blade pole saw I safely dropped 4 of the six limbs within 3 feet of where I wanted them to drop during four hours of time combined of height triangulation, cut angle and drop zone triangulation , sawing and resting although the 4 limbs ranged from 18 to 30 feet.

Later this week or next I figure to notch what is left of the scrub brush turned tree with my hatchet and use my camp saw to drop the last 10 or 12 feet of it but as that part of it is about 10 inches in diameter I want to wait until the area dries out enough to scalp mow the area.

Relying on the common sense aspect of the Science of Homesteading sure makes achieving results occur the way you want them to in safe progression so easy.

[dfr1973]

I am a geek, so I think about the physics of dropping a tree the proper direction; the chemistry and microbiology aspects of gardening and the compost pile, the biology of my birds and their symbiotic microfauna ... the ecology balance point for predators and pests and how to try to persuade the predators to go after the pests instead of the livestock! If I keep all my chickens under protective cover, the hawks will start in on the numerous squirrels. There is probably much more that I just do without thinking.

[Shrek]

I get a chuckle of how some in my social group laugh at me for being the nerd and using my science exposure when they are often the doofus merit badge recipients or Darwin award runner ups ( the couple Darwin Award winners over the years from my social group don't laugh at anything anymore because we all know what it take to win a Darwin).

One of the guys yesterday who saw me using my tape measure and model rocketry altimeter to evaluate my plan of attack on the tree scoffed at my "taking it too seriously".

He got quiet though when I asked him how much his homeowners and car insurance premiums went up when the 50 foot pine tree in his front yard he dropped last November blew out the living room bay window of his house and slid his portable carport up onto his wife's car when it rolled toward he house instead of into the yard because he didn't take into consideration that the tree he was dropping did not have balanced boughs due to other trees near it which influenced its growth and shape.

[FarmboyBill]

Yep, Im pretty good at getting a tree to drop just where I want it, Takeing in the wind, the branches, their length and number and as to which side their most numerious, ect. Course, I use wedges once im 1/2 or more into the tree to convince it to go the direction I planned.

[Shrek]

If you have good aim with a sling shot you can often shoot a lug nut with heave monofilament line over limbs within pole saw reach to verify the plumb of the drop before cutting.

[dfr1973]

Add genetics to the list: this afternoon I was sitting by the pullet tractor with my mother-in-law, pointing out the couple pullets I intend to breed (and why) and also the ones I will definitely not be breeding (and why) then explaining the concept of a test breeding to see if my best cockerel carries the autosomal recessive for single comb which can be "hidden" by the autosomal dominant rose comb. Let's hear it for simple autosomal (Mendelian) traits! Those are the easy ones to figure out. LOL

[Silvercreek Farmer]

Most of the firewood we burn comes from 8-12 inch trees in dense woods, so I do quite about geometry! My favorite homesteading science involves depositing carbon into my soil and watching it grow darker and darker!