Critique my land clearing request

I can't agree more with this thought.

Skizzlepig have you ever cleared land? Have you ever run a dozier? I would shop around for a land clearing contractor. Most all contractors know each other and talk jobs that are in the area. Take your time about making a decision and someone may come to your door with a good offer once they realize you balked at their price.

Clearing land can be work if your not experience. Running a dozier can be work if you're not use to being on one for 10 hrs. It can be dangerous. Also if you rent a dozier and let say you run a sapling thru the radiator the rental company repairs and sends you the bill.

Sounds like you live on the "fall line" area. The fall line crosses Georgia just south of me. Some on here may not know what the fall line is or was.

Bellcow

Never ... let me be clear: Never, ever ... ever ... what's a dozer?

Your advice is sound given my complete lack of experience. That said, I do know that people have to learn at some point and if I messed up MY project I wouldn't feel too bad.

It's all going to come down to the cost, but, even if *I* do it, believe me I'll hire someone to teach, help and chide me.


Hey, hey! I speak "fall line". We're a bit upstate from the fall line, which is where I want to be. Fewer snakes, milder humidity, etc. you know

I suggest you shop around unless you have surplus money to spend. Spread lime is cheaper here in NC and it is hauled in from SC VA and TN. Find a farm supplier as compared to a hobby/homeowner user source.

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Agmantoo
If they can do it,
you know you can!

Dozer? You mean I've been spelling it wrong my whole life?

Bellcow

From the looks of the pics a good skid loader with a rock grapple bucket and possibly a forestry mulcher would do the job just fine there isn't enough big stuff there to justify a 20k lb dozer the skid loader will do the same task is lighter and faster ground speed when not pushing


Calcitic lime here is 35-40 per ton spread I haul my own and it is $5 a ton at the quarry and I rent a spreader cart for$ 6 per ton

this may sound crazy, but why clear it? different soil (though sandy)and climate here but know an OLD farmer who cleared a bunch of bush (50+ acres)turned it into farm land by just leaving the slash and sowing grass seed and turning the cows in. 5 years after harvest there was very little slash, still stumps (you were leaving them) and 4 years of pasture. 10 years in, no slash and few stumps few stumps. farmer had fed hay in the area during non growing season and had limed and spread seed with a 4wheeler.15 years later, the land is now owned by a cash cropper who plowed it all up with no stumps

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àigeach carnaid
chaora dhubh
"Don't raise your voice, improve your argument."

cruachan

That's pretty much what I'm doing with cow pasture. I went thru with a root rake and picked up the larger pieces, then bush hogged to chop up the smaller limbs and I'm letting it sit. Not much work or time.

Where I'll have horses, I needed high quality pasture in a year, so I pulled stumps, burned piles, composted tons, graded, planted, mowed, etc. Lots of work and time.

We are along the fall line, between the piedmont and the coastal plain a bit further south than you - South and west of Augusta GA. Our land is mostly sandy loam, and is currently in pine forest. I can share my experience with you.

First, I had ~7 acres clear cut. My thinking was that I would be able to bush-hog over the stumps that were supposed to be cut flush with the ground and leave the stumps to rot over time. Don't do this. It's a good way to ruin your bush hog.

If you want to do it that way, make sure you get fences up immediately.... if not sooner! You need you water available before you do it too. If you have those two things, you could start goats or other livestock right after clear cutting and you might have a chance of keeping ahead of the brush that quickly grows up after a clear cut.

A heavy bush hog can keep it back and let grass get established too... but only if there aren't stumps etc to tear it up.

I took a different approach with the second area. More costly, but ultimately more successful. In my area, it costs about $900-1100 per acre to convert to tillable land. We had three acres clear clear cut (loggers took all the trees - I made a little money as they were already thinning a different area but generally for small areas you will be lucky to break even... loggers want a bigger section to make it worth there time before they will pay you) Afterwards, we paid ~$900/acre to have a guy with a big excavator pop out the stumps, stack them for burning and then harrow the area flat again. I planted bahia grass and now this area is a relatively nice pasture after just one planting. I can easily keep the volunteer brush in control with my harrow just by going over it twice a year. Now that water is in, (and fences soon) I'll be able to put animals on it. All inn all a much better experience.

In my next project. I'll be trying the Forestry mulcher. I had severe damage to one of the timber stands - 50% loss, with the ice storm last year. I was initially quoted 700/acre to mulch the damaged trees. I rented a c80 excavator and pushed over the damaged trees... I'd like to say that this will take care of the stumps too, but it isn't 100%. About 25% of the time the damaged trees snap at the ground, leaving the stump in place unless you dig it out. Would have worked better if I'd done it a year ago... Any how, I'm hoping that this will lower the cost for mulching to ~500/acre (he raised his price when he saw the standing / leaning trees). I only want to mulch the areas nearest the house (maybe a hundred yards or so). The rest we will deal with by doing a controlled burn in Jan/Feb. I'll perimeter fence it after the burn, and use electric to make smaller paddocks. If we can't control the regrowth with animals, I can re-burn those areas every 2-3 years, or until we have enough animal power to keep the brush under control. But bush-hogging won't be an option unless I take the time or spend the money to clear the remaining stumps.

In the areas I mulch, I should be able to bush hog it if needed, and the mulch should help the soil. This won't be completely cleared land - more of a slivopasture set up with trees mixed with more open areas. I had planned on clearing in strips but Mother nature had other plans. When life hands you lemons, make lemon-aid. Wont know how this works till next year, but that's the plan.

Last piece of advice - your photos show some erosion - get some kind of grass planted asap or it will get worse pretty quickly.

Best of luck,

Caution: Only go this route if you have it fenced, have water and have the goats/cows to put on it... The regrowth after a clear cut can get away from you pretty quick...

I run a regular lawn mower over my stumps with no problem. I also brush hog right over them in the field. I run my hog about 6 inches off the ground. It does help if you have a stump jumper hog.

Imho, forested land is usually forested, for a reason... especially in areas with agriculture. They're not suitable for anything else, but forestry. One can quickly end up paying more for 'raw' or forested land and try to clear it and make it pastureland, than one can get pasture in the first place. Plus all the aggravation, the eyesore, and the couple of years of working the ground to make it pasture. You can root out all the roots and stumps and still get sprouts for several years.

good luck!

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Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. Seneca
Learning is not compulsory... neither is survival. W. Edwards Deming

I guess it depends on how smooth/flat your land is, and how good a job the forrester does at cutting them flush with the ground. All it takes is one 7 or 8 inches instead of under 6..., or having one at the crown of a hill when your going over to make a 4 inch stump seem taller.

Not always true - at least where I live. My land was farm land 60 years ago... can still see the terraces. A lot of farm land was converted to forest when people moved to the city - minimal maintenance and a cash crop every 5 years (after waiting 15).

Forest is the final succession ecosystem - leave a pasture alone and brush starts, then small trees, then larger ones. Here, Pine is the end state, up north pine is the last step before beach/maple. That's why its so hard - tear up forest and plant grass, and unless you keep tending it to it, it will revert to forest.