Best way to clear these saplings for chipping?

[The Suburban Farmer]

The first major project of the spring is going to be to clear out a ~1 acre section of woods to the side of my house of all of the 2-4" saplings so that the big trees have a little more breathing space. When spring comes, you can't even see through the woods, and I'd like to thin it out. I also need some wood chips, so I plan to run them through my chipper to use for a couple of pathways and landscaping areas, so I don't want to just push them down with the FEL (which is what I did on a different section of our land.)



I'm thinking of a couple of options and woud like your opinion for what would be easiest for a one-man show (like most of my projects, this one will be a solo gig.)

1) Cut them with a chainsaw just above the ground and leave the stumps to rot
2) Pull them out of the ground with the tractor, then cut off the root balls before I chip them
3) Cut them off about 3' above the ground, chip the tree, and then pull the rest out of the ground using the 3' leftover stump for leverage whenever I can get to it
4) (Least desirable) Run through them with the Piranha tooth bar on the FEL and then clean them up of any extra dirt and debris before I run them through the chipper (seems like extra work to me.)

I know 4 would be fastest for the "clearing" part, but since I'm going to chip them up, I don't want to dull the blades with unnecessary dirt and debris. Right now, I'm thinking that #3 might make the most sense. Cut them and chip them the first day, then come back the next day to pull / tear out the rest with tractor.

Any suggestions?

 

[murphy1244]

I cut mine down to 2' then chipped the tree. Let the stump rot a year or so then push it over.

 

[smstonypoint]

I can't tell from your photo -- what species are the saplings?

Depending on the species, you may get sprouting from the stumps if you go with option 1. You can treat the cut stumps with glyphosate to prevent sprouting.

Steve

 

[The Suburban Farmer]

Thanks guys -- I was thinking the same thing, but was worried about the stumps sprouting again. They are a mix of Oak and Beech, but there's a maple or two in there as well. We have some AWESOME old-growth beech trees in the forest (some 4-5' across at the base), and that's part of why I want to clear things out -- to give these old girls some breathing room so they thrive for another 50 years.

The wife is a BIG negative on the glyphosate, unfortunately. She's totally organic and believes all things Monsanto are evil. I actually agree, but may try to sneak in a shot of glyphosate anyway. Maybe if I buy the generic brand from Tractor Supply instead of RoundUp, she won't notice...

 

[dave1949]

If you anticipate keeping that and/or other areas clear of saplings and undergrowth, consider a forestry saw like a Stihl FS 250. You can cut 3"-4" trees off at the ground and then chip them.

The cut will leave a 1 inch stub sticking up that can be mowed over easily. The stubs will rot in a couple years if you keep the re-sprouts down by mowing, no Roundup required for that. You will need to do your clearing such that mowing/bush hog every 1-2 years is easy or you will be right back where you started. The forestry saw is also great for trimming in places you can't easily mow, but I wouldn't want to maintain an acre that way even though it is possible.

The FS 250 (for example) can use a string head, brush cutter blade, or two types of saw blades. It is a versatile tool. Other models also support a pole saw attachment which is useful for maintaining head/tractor clearance under the trees.

Eventually between you, the deer and the closing canopy, it will be easier to keep clear.

 

[davesl708]

I did the same thing on my place when I bought it.
I cut the trees over 1 1/2 inch with the chainsaw and chipped. Then went in with the FEL and pushed out the roots to prevent regrowth. Quick shallow pass with a rototiller and replanted. Burned the leftover debris.

 

[s219]

That woods doesn't look too thick to me, so just keep in mind that a healthy forest should have multiple generations of trees before you take out *all* the saplings. Thinning some is OK. Also be careful about impact to the trees you want to keep when operating in/around them, in terms of driving over roots/stems, soil compaction, and dings to bark/etc. It's easy to do more harm than good to your intended keeper trees if you're not careful, but a 2320 should help minimize things compared to a large tractor.

When I had to clear a path through saplings, my approach was to cut them off with about 18" of stump remaining, and use a brush grubber on the end of a chain to flick the stump out of the ground cleanly (most times it would barely even leave a hole). I'd toss the stumps/roots to one side of the trail, and the trees/tops to the other, then come back later and chip the trees/tops in place as I worked back down the trail. If you want to used the chips for other projects, then you may need to drag the trees to a common location where the chip pile will be, so it's a little less convenient. But if you can pull a wagon along to catch chips, that works well.

I don't think your #1 approach is a good idea, as the trees will most likely sprout suckers and grow back, then be unhealthy eyesores and a net negative impact to the forest. The #2 approach will require a lot of working space which you probably won't have once you're in the woods.

Good luck!

 

[The Suburban Farmer]

If you anticipate keeping that and/or other areas clear of saplings and undergrowth, consider a forestry saw like a Stihl FS 250. You can cut 3"-4" trees off at the ground and then chip them.

The cut will leave a 1 inch stub sticking up that can be mowed over easily. The stubs will rot in a couple years if you keep the re-sprouts down by mowing, no Roundup required for that. You will need to do your clearing such that mowing/bush hog every 1-2 years is easy or you will be right back where you started. The forestry saw is also great for trimming in places you can't easily mow, but I wouldn't want to maintain an acre that way even though it is possible.

The FS 250 (for example) can use a string head, brush cutter blade, or two types of saw blades. It is a versatile tool. Other models also support a pole saw attachment which is useful for maintaining head/tractor clearance under the trees.

Eventually between you, the deer and the closing canopy, it will be easier to keep clear.

Now that you mention it, I have the Husky version of that forestry saw and totally forgot about it since I put a string-trimmer head on it and now think about it as just a trimmer... that's a GREAT idea for the hard to reach areas. Now I just have to find that darn saw attachment in my shed...

I was planning on thinning things enough that I can use the brush hog 1-2x a year, but that tool will be great for the clean up. Do you think the brush hog would do a decent job of taking out the sapling stumps if I cut them 4-5" above the ground? It's a 4' Tractor Supply cutter (the yellow one, not the orange SCUT model) on the back of a Deere 2320 with 18 PTO HP. I haven't used it in the woods yet, but it seems like it's done a more-than-decent job on some of the small scrubby stuff I cleared out when we first bought the property. Or should I try to cut things closer to the ground and just mow over them?

 

[dave1949]

I would cut closer to the ground and mow over them. I don't see much advantage to leaving those potential tire pokers. A Beech sapling is tough wood. I assume you have a fair amount of beech saplings there. Beech is very shade tolerant too as far as regrowth from roots or from seeds.

The 4' bush hog with 18 pto hp should cut the stuff under 1-1/2", there is usually a guide for that with the bush hog (max. dia.). It won't look nearly as clean afterward as cutting with the saw and chipping though, and it is a little hard on the mower too.

 

[Baby Grand]

Have to agree with dave1949. Cut them as flush to the ground as you can stand to. Be prepared to dull & resharpen some blades - it will be time well spent.

Trying to mow over an area with 5" stumps sticking up at random will not be something you'll enjoy doing. Also, with the reduced accumulation of leaf litter from the saplings, the soil may compress, causing the stumps to appear to rise up. Trying to bush hog over stumps that have risen a few inches may prove very unpleasant if you only cut them down to 4 - 5" to begin with.