Clearing progress, brush is evil

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I bought this 15 acres with the intent of clearing out an area to camp and maybe someday move out there. There is septic system installed and a well in place, even a few shacks.

I brought out a shipping container and dropped it in the only clearing. Then I picked up a bulldozer off of ebay. Clearing woods like this would cost about 2500$ per acre. I figured that with a bulldozer I could quietly poke around and discover/destroy any areas with drainage problems and then enlarge the clearing. The next step would be a perimeter road.

I have now decided that I need to build a home out there to enjoy the country life so the pace will be hurried.

Let's start with one of the first trips out there to do some cleaning for the container and some early camping. The kis even knows I need a brushhog. This job took a long time but I got it done.

 

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#2 The front brush in piles. This burned well after setting out all summer.

 

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#3 I spent time saving alder wood at first. That was short lived. Now it goes into the slash pile unless it's really big.

 

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#4 Now heading back away from the frontage. The previous clearing done on the right of the photo, now heading left. Note the weather has changed and now the earth has turned to muck. Work is slower in the muck, sometimes more harm then good.

 

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#5 I leave the stumps of cut trees tall to help me pull them out later. These trees were junk wood with rotten middles. This area was to be my burn area, photo right, so I wanted all tall foliage gone.

Note the road. Smoothes out like frosting. There are no rocks here, only clay.

 

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#6 Zoomed back. Note the 36"x20' CMP culvert I brought out there. You'll see why later.

 

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#7 Frontage to left, muddy area to right. THis is my parking/camping spot. The dozer is in the box.

 

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#8 A manmade creek/ditch cuts off one corner of my property. It is good that I have a low spot to send water but the ditch is 6 feet wide and 8' deep in places with near vertical sides. I had no way to cross and neither did the deer until I mysteriously found this obviously existing crossing. There is a 36" CMP and a 24" CPEP pipe down there on the bottom. The ditch is nearly flat on the bottom so the flow depth doesn't reflect the flow rate real well. It dries up in the summer. Now I can make a road on the previously isolated 1 acre or so. The logger strongly encouraged me to find a crossing.

 

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#9 This area is a new one. The ground is moist so I don't want to actually dig in it. What I do is set the blade about 3 inches above the ground and push all the debris. The blackberries, and woody brush seem to disappear. This area will grow back much sooner but in the name of exploring I was able to determine that there is no swamp here. Some of my work is just getting the place ready for a brush hog.

 

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#10 Another view of the ditch crossing. No rocks.