Accelerating Decomp of timber slash?

[MossflowerWoods]

Guys & Gals,

It is almost 2 years now since I clearcut my pasture area. I've cleaned MUCH of it up, but I still have some areas of moderate to heavy slash.

In at least one area I've noticed grasses trying to grow over and atop some of this moderate slash and it got me to wondering how could I accelerate the decomp.

Could I run a disc over it all and spread lime?

I am successfully bush hogging most of it, and slowly breaking down the stuff smaller than my wrist, but there is still a lot of it.

As I get down to the small stuff, it does not burn well (smolders really) and I'm not sure what to do with it.

Ant advice?

Thanks in advance,
David

 

[J35]

This is where a landscape rake really shines.

If you are in no hurry to seed just spread it out and let the termites and microbes do their thing.

If you are in a hurry rake it over to the tree line beyond your fence line and let it break down there, in a couple of years you will have supreme top soil for use else where when needed.

This is what I have done ( 3 times) and its worked out really well.

Good luck --- J

 

[rswyan]

Like J35 says, it sounds like you have some prime material for the makings of a nice compost pile .... if you can gather it up with a rake and then pile it up, amending it with other organic debris - leaves, grass clippings or whatever (ideally 50% brown, 50% green) it should decompose faster ....

You will get some really beautiful composted soil out of it eventually.

 

[bcp]

I've often seen high-nitrogen fertilizer recommended.

Bruce

 

[cat 297c]

Have it mulched!

 

[case245]

throw the big chunks into a wood chipper

 

[timberwolf71]

Have it mulched!

I agree ! have it mulched. I have mulched locations of mature woody mass and returned 6,8,12 months later and done a follow up run on what has had a chance to decay and the outcome was great. Great topsoil. Or if you have gotten the bigger stuff gone and your in an area that permits, you possibly could do a controlled/prescribed burn as the forestry svc does. Just a thought.

 

[MossflowerWoods]

All,

I had most of everything mulched with a 300hp Franklin running a 10.5' mulcher head last October (that is the only way I can bush hog it).

But the really heavy, the areas where the skidder heavily travelled, the mulch has bigger chunks and is deep...

David

 

[J35]

All,

I had most of everything mulched with a 300hp Franklin running a 10.5' mulcher head last October (that is the only way I can bush hog it).

But the really heavy, the areas where the skidder heavily travelled, the mulch has bigger chunks and is deep...

David

The plot thickens, I was thinking you had some land cleared with track hoe and loader type deal.

No experience with mulching aftermath.

Won't you be fighting saplings and vines forever?

Seems like in our part of the world every tree with a leaf is pretty darn tenacious .

And the larger pine stumps when left to rot in the ground will leave a hole pretty deep, like three to four feet .

Good luck--J

 

[tlbuser]

And the larger pine stumps when left to rot in the ground will leave a hole pretty deep, like three to four feet .

Good luck--J

Yea, stump holes and horses aren't a great combination.
The attached article may be helpful.
http://www.urbanforestrysouth.org/resources/library/Citation.2004-05-28.1315/file_name