Reclaiming a long-lost field

[dave1949]

I've thought about creating some (about 15 acres) pasture land for several years and this summer I started on that project. The area used to be a pasture or hay field 50 or 60 years ago, but had reverted to woods since.

The trees are a major obstacle of course and the area had been logged a couple times over the years. None of them are good for saw logs, lots of small stuff and "pasture" pines that have grown in all directions from having their leaders killed off by pine weevils.

I asked our district state forester to look it over and give advice. She said there was enough wood to get someone in for a whole tree, clear-cut, chip harvest. The chips are burned to drive steam turbine electric generators at the Sappi paper plant in Skowhegan, Maine which is not far away.

The first step was to open up a 1/4 mile long narrow lane and make it able to support 80-90 thousand pounds (when loaded) tractor-trailers. I didn't really want to tackle the road job using my NH TC40 with backhoe, but there is no budget for hiring it out. So, I commenced digging stumps and doing some grading of the lane. Then spread 464 yards of 6" gravel. It's river rock/cobble with some fines in it.

It doesn't lock-up very well, but it's what was available and affordable. The trucks beat it into the ground so it does stabilize eventually. I've had to pull it back together a couple times, especially after the skidder hauled the trees that where cut along side the road, and some trees I had them take near the house. That was unavoidable given the timing of things, but no fun.

The wet weather has been the biggest challenge. We had a very wet June and July, and it continues that way in August. We have been lucky to get 2-3 good drying days in a row here and there.

Some pics. The Tigercat harvestor, road, yarded logs and crane. I'll get some pics of the chipper when it stops raining. They have taken out 14 or 15 loads of chips so far. There are another 12-15 loads to chip yet.

 

[PAGUY]

Looking good. Nice when you have the right equipment to handle the job at hand. What are your plans for the cleared acres when finished?

 

[dave1949]

Looking good. Nice when you have the right equipment to handle the job at hand. What are your plans for the cleared acres when finished?

Thanks. The logger was finishing up a job in the next town, so it happened more quickly that I had anticipated. It works out well for the logger to not have to move the 60 ton harvester very far between jobs.

My TC40 is not really the "right" equipment for the road. An excavator and front-end loader would have been nice to have. No winning lottery tickets though. :laughing:

The logging equipment belongs to Poulin Bros. Logging in Readfield, Maine. Nice people that I can recommend for those in Central/Western Maine looking for a logger.

My eventual goal for the clearing is to make it into a good pasture, and maybe good enough to hay. That will take several years. Pulling stumps and grading/smoothing is next summer's project.

Depending on how old I feel when it is productive pasture, I might put some sheep on it. Over all, local agriculture is slowly growing around here, and a pasture field is a value add to property.

 

[300UGUY]

Thanks. The logger was finishing up a job in the next town, so it happened more quickly that I had anticipated. It works out well for the logger to not have to move the 60 ton harvester very far between jobs.

My TC40 is not really the "right" equipment for the road. An excavator and front-end loader would have been nice to have. No winning lottery tickets though. :laughing:

The logging equipment belongs to Poulin Bros. Logging in Readfield, Maine. Nice people that I can recommend for those in Central/Western Maine looking for a logger.

My eventual goal for the clearing is to make it into a good pasture, and maybe good enough to hay. That will take several years. Pulling stumps and grading/smoothing is next summer's project.

Depending on how old I feel when it is productive pasture, I might put some sheep on it. Over all, local agriculture is slowly growing around here, and a pasture field is a value add to property.

Great pics. When you say "local agriculture", do you mean organic, local production, or just ag in general?

 

[dave1949]

Great pics. When you say "local agriculture", do you mean organic, local production, or just ag in general?

Ag in general, we do have a good number of farmer's markets, some organic, some not. They tend to be small operations here, veggies, fruits, grass-fed beef, sheep, etc., not big row crop fields. We don't have large acreages of tillable land.

There is a grist mill now in the former jail in Skowhegan. They are making a market for locally grown, organic grains. They organize an annual Kneading (breads) Conference. This year, their seventh, the focus was on pizza and breads from wood-fired ovens. The keynote speaker is a professor at the Johnson and Wales Culinary School.

 

[scott_vt]

Good Evenin Dave,
Thats a very aggressive project, my hat is off to you ! Just the work on the lane into the property was a huge job.

I really enjoy looking at my open pasture in the evening after its been mowed, so I can relate somewhat... I really dont even do anything with the land, but it looks good when taken care of...

Keep us posted as you make mor progress.

 

[Larro Darro]

You have the biggest part done. Hope you made a few dollars off the chips.

You can grow grass around the stumps you know. A few sheep will keep it from getting out of hand, and in a few years, most of the stumps will have rotted. 15 acres of stumps is a lot of stumps to be digging up.

I have sold all my livestock, and let a few trees grow up in the old pasture. Now it is just an extension of the yard. At the end of the day, it is good to have a long view.

 

[sfloggie]

Very nice Larry!

 

[dave1949]

You have the biggest part done. Hope you made a few dollars off the chips.

You can grow grass around the stumps you know. A few sheep will keep it from getting out of hand, and in a few years, most of the stumps will have rotted. 15 acres of stumps is a lot of stumps to be digging up.

I have sold all my livestock, and let a few trees grow up in the old pasture. Now it is just an extension of the yard. At the end of the day, it is good to have a long view.

View attachment 330332

That is a nice looking field. Just like you and Scotty, I like to see the open sky and some field too.

Not going to get rich from the chips. My portion is $4/ton, so the chips won't pay for the stone in the lane. But, I end up with an all-weather lane to the field and the trees are out of the way at least at a fairly low cost overall.

I have been thinking about how to proceed with the stumps and roots. It's true, they will soften up after 5-6 years or so, and goats or sheep would keep the regenerating growth down. I've also thought about buying a used TLB like a Deere 310/410 or Case 580. The stumps are numerous enough and close together that trying to mow around them would be difficult.

This fall I will pull some of the small stumps with the TC40 and make some burn piles for a start.

 

[dave1949]

Good Evenin Dave,
Thats a very aggressive project, my hat is off to you ! Just the work on the lane into the property was a huge job.

I really enjoy looking at my open pasture in the evening after its been mowed, so I can relate somewhat... I really dont even do anything with the land, but it looks good when taken care of...

Keep us posted as you make mor progress.

Thanks Scotty.

The road was a lot of work and I had to coordinate with the logger's schedule, plus take off for a week to attend a family reunion in Michigan in the middle of that. The pressure! It was like being un-retired for awhile there. :laughing:

Anyways, for the rest of this season I can work at it at my own pace. The TC40 isn't going to get very far on those stumps, but maybe I can open up some clear lanes through the field to make it possible to get at most of it. Part of it was a log landing for the previous harvest, so I've kept those open areas mowed over the years and a snowmobile trail runs across the middle of it, so there are some places that don't need a lot of work.

Clear cuts over five acres are allowed if converting to fields. Two years from the harvest it is supposed to be a more or less functioning field. Or at least look like it could be a field. I doubt if anyone will be checking on my progress.