clearing woods?

[justgojumpit]

Hello, we have some woods to clear and we were thinking of pigs to help us with the job. We cannot get permits to cut live trees, but we can put livestock in the woods and then remove the trees that they kill. How many pigs would it take to clear one acre of medium density forest per year? (we would overwinter a few pigs for spring litters) Also, what kind of shelter, fencing and feed do they need? Also, what breed would you recommend? Thanks

Justgojumpit

[TurnKey]

I did the same thing. I have 10 acres of 5 year old aspen regrowth. The young aspen is so thick you can't see through it, and the blackberrys grew in so thick a rabbit would get stuck in it. I fenced off about a half acre and put five miniature goats in there. They went to town on the vegetation in there, practically cleared it all out themselves inside of 6 months, leaving only stumps. I then fenced off another acre adjacent to the original pen and moved the goats over there to start a new area. In the original pen, I removed the field fence and installed hog panels for the fencing. I built a shelter out of fence posts, pallets and OSB. Then brought in the pigs, six of them. They rototilled the area pretty good, loosening up the stumps for easy removal. If you want them to dig out a specific stump, dig a hole near the stump base about 4 inches deep, then put some corn and molasses in the hole. Instant excavation! The pigs have been in the pen for about a month and are about 100 - 125 lbs each. (They were kept at a friends place until I got the pen finished). All this in Northern Michigan, and the ground is still soft enough for them to root.

[uncle Will in In.]

If they are large trees it would take years for them to hurt the trees.

[jackie c]

You can 'help' kill off those trees, shhhh, by cutting all around the bark, this cuts off the ability to send nurtients back and forth. Cut low enough to the ground so it will look like the pigs got them. The pigs will probably start chewing on them a little more then as well.

I'm new to the site, but your question amazes me, so I have a few myself.
What kind of place do you live that you own at least an acre of land... and can't cut a tree ?
And WHY would you want to live there ?

[sisterpine]

dark hollow: there are many many places with covinents (sp) about cutting trees. one property we looked at even enforced how many trees you could cut for a house pad and drive way! but you are right, we did not buy there, went way rural instead and now have no covenents at all yea!

[Mulefoot]

Sisterpine,

Covenants on the number of trees you can cut for your house? I'm glad I live in an area where there are no covenants and virtually no building codes.