Need advice on pond project

[NonTypicalCPA]

I have a piece of property that I want to have a 1/2 - 1 acre pond dug. The problem is that where I want the pond is an area on my property that is heavily wooded. I'm debating how I want to tackle this project. Do I pay a tree company to clear the area and chip everything in place? What about the stumps - can they be removed at the time of digging? or do they need to be ground out? I have the ability to have the stumps dug up and pushed back into the woods if needed. I'm assuming that I need an excavator vs a dragline because the woods will come right to the edge of the pond and there won't be a lot of working space when digging?

Has anyone here have any experience in a similar situation? Any thoughts?

 

[thunderworks]

My 3/4 acre pond was dug in a wooded ravine. The pond builder removed the trees with his track hoe and burned everything. Took 2 days max to remove all the trees. . .

 

[radioman]

what's your time and budget restraints ? Anything is possible, it just a matter of what your final goal is. are you in a hurry and need it done for instant gratification? or are you interested in doing the work yourself over time and then have a dozer or excavator to do the majority dirt removal ? what equipment do you have ? etc etc....

 

[Sniggle]

Hire a tracked loader/dozer. They will be able to push the trees over, popping out the root balls. Then burn the lot.

I paid $8500 to have 3 acres cleared, burned, and rough graded. The figure was a bit pricey because I also had approx. 800 yards of excavation rubble (from development rough grading that the developer dropped on the extra parcel I recently bought) that had to be moved 100 yards and dumped in an old cow pond depression (took a dump truck over 80 trips).

After the dozer left, me and my B7800/box blade and landscape rake spent about 50 hours running over the area to clean it up, rough finish grade it and seed it.

 

[NonTypicalCPA]

what's your time and budget restraints ? Anything is possible, it just a matter of what your final goal is. are you in a hurry and need it done for instant gratification? or are you interested in doing the work yourself over time and then have a dozer or excavator to do the majority dirt removal ? what equipment do you have ? etc etc....

I'm in no rush, but would like to see the finished product within 2 years time. I have a Kubota L3940 with grapple. I need to add a tooth bar to my bucket for the smaller brush. My problem is that I don't have any time to work on it during the winter months, as I'm a slave to my business as a CPA preparing tax returns. I have a client that does tree work/removal that I was considering bartering the clearing. If I go that route should I have him chip all the smaller stuff a leave it lay? Will all the wood chips cause any trouble when it comes time for the excavating? I will take the logs to burn in my outdoor boiler, so that will reduce the amount of chips laying on the ground.

The other biggie is what to do with the stumps after the trees are cleared. Should I just leave them for the excavator to remove when he's digging the pond?

Thanks.

 

[SnowRidge]

Have a dozer or excavator clear the area and dig the pond. He will push the trees, roots and all, to wherever you want them. He will burn them, if that's what you want, or he will shove them into the woods or into as many piles as you want. Figure $100 an hour for his time, plus a hauling charge. It will cost more if he burns them, since that will add to the time it takes to do the job.

He will likely not give you a job price, since there will be unknowns. If he does, it will be padded to cover unexpected events, and you will almost certainly pay more than if you hired him by the hour.

Do google farm ponds. There are a number of free publications on the web dealing with their construction and upkeep. Many are from university ag deparments or state agencies.

 

[radioman]

the bartering is good. the wood chip wont bother anything, if it not alot of stuff it wont add much to the organic matter. however you MIGHT want to save the branches. When you have someone dig for you with big equipment, they can pop the stumps out in no time and you can use your tractor/grapple to move it to a burn location and pile the branches on to burn better and hotter. since you have a grapple , moving the branches is a no brainer. hopefully, you will have time over the summer to do most of the work.

 

[F.L. Jennings]

I have a piece of property that I want to have a 1/2 - 1 acre pond dug. The problem is that where I want the pond is an area on my property that is heavily wooded. I'm debating how I want to tackle this project. Do I pay a tree company to clear the area and chip everything in place? What about the stumps - can they be removed at the time of digging? or do they need to be ground out? I have the ability to have the stumps dug up and pushed back into the woods if needed. I'm assuming that I need an excavator vs a dragline because the woods will come right to the edge of the pond and there won't be a lot of working space when digging?

Has anyone here have any experience in a similar situation? Any thoughts?

Random observations. A lot of it depends on your proposed use for a pond. Most people build one for multiple uses such as a stock pond for animals and to raise fish.



1. I left several standing hardwoods in my pond basin for the fish. After more than 30 years some are still standing.

2. Stumps can be left in the pond basin for fish cover.

3. Many many people burn wood, and there are men in your very area that would be glad to turn the standing trees (assuming they are a desirable species for this use) into a useful product. If there is quite a bit of timber then it can be sold, with the proceeds helping to offset cost of pond construction.

4. My high ground pond is about an acre and I did part of the work with my tractor. A dozer pushed up the clay dam, fortunately I was able to use the head of an existing hollow.

5. Vary the depth of the pond, remembering that shallow water where sunlight can hit the bottom promotes growth of algae, moss and other plants. Some of that is not bad though in creating a varied aqua environment for fish.

6. create a little Island like the one in the photo. I excavated this one with my backhoe several years after the pond was built, and planted a Bald Cypress on it. A bridge over to the island is an idea I havent't executed as of yet, along with a sitting bench to fish from or just enjoy the view.

Frank

My dam is about 80 yards long, and water near the dam is about 14ft. deep.

 

[charlz]

I would certainly try to salvage as many trees for firewood as possible. If you are not keen on dropping them yourself maybe get the tree guy to drop them, limb them and leave them in 8' or whatever logs. you can collect the logs later with the grapple and deck them out somewhere out of the way for later processing into firewood.

 

[pat32rf]

So many variables- What do you have for a water source, water overflow, intended usage,
I would look at Eddiewalkers pond project and also check Pond Boss Magazine Home Page!