Thinning forest

[buckeyefarmer]

Depends on how much you thin. If real thick, you need to thin down. If too much is cut, then brush grows up.

 

[GirlWhoWantsTractor]

Hmmm - buckeyefarmer - that's sure not the way it works in the pine forests around here. You thin and what remains grows big and strong. Otherwise, you end up with stands of spaghetti with green tops.

Yep. Those "spaghetti" trees are already doomed; they have been out-competed by other trees, or by each other in some cases.

 

[oosik]

I wish I could get brush to grow here. I've got eighty acres of one thing or the other - either bunch grass or Ponderosa pine. I thin a stand and both the bunch grass and the remaining pines grow big and strong. I have absolutely no other type of tree on my acreage - just Ponderosa pine. That is the predominant tree in this entire area of NE WA.

 

[GirlWhoWantsTractor]

I wish I could get brush to grow here. I've got eighty acres of one thing or the other - either bunch grass or Ponderosa pine. I thin a stand and both the bunch grass and the remaining pines grow big and strong. I have absolutely no other type of tree on my acreage - just Ponderosa pine. That is the predominant tree in this entire area of NE WA.

Sounds pretty.
But I do love our Blue Ridge mixed hardwood forests.

 

[newbury]

I'm taking delivery of a Kioti CK3510se TLB next week, along with a 55" Wicked Root Grapple, Piranha Bar, and a Wallenstein Chipper/Shredder. One of the projects on my to-do list is to thin out the forest surrounding my family's place. Total forest area of about 3-4 acres, maybe up to 6-7 depending on how industrious I get. Basically want to get rid of a lot of the young growth (2-3" trees), etc..., but not trying to clear everything. Trying to figure out the best way to go about it. No big rush... will work on this over the summer when I can. I also have a Stihl MS290 chainsaw, and an FS90 string trimmer.<snip>

We could use some idea of your budget.
Your string trimmer with blade is the tool you need to get small stumps near ground level but I think your FS90 may be underpowered. I've a Stihl FS110 and and FS250 I can handle 2 inch trees easily with the FS250.
However, having cleared a fair amount myself I found it was easier for ME with trees of that size to lop the tree off at a convenient level (about waist high) with a chainsaw. Drag the tree to my chipper parked nearby. Repeat process until I got tired or had a pile built up near the chipper. Then go back through and trim the waist high "stumps" with the FS250, then feed it all into the chipper.

IF you can burn thats is easier than chipping, but often I can't because of burn bans.

 

[newbury]

Yep. Those "spaghetti" trees are already doomed; they have been out-competed by other trees, or by each other in some cases.

I thought spaghetti trees were only found in Italy?

 

[tree farmer]

Since you have a Stihl fs90 already, have you considered a pole saw attachment for it?{about $200.} I have one on my fs110, and it is probably one of my most frequently used tools. I have a similar situation to yours, only with very prolific sitka spruce trees. They grow so thick you cant walk between them. I've been cutting them close to the ground, then reach up with the pole saw and cut them off repeatedly about 8 ft. high. eventually you will have a pile of short sticks on the ground, which I leave, as they will rot out in a few years. Soon as the ones you leave get some sunlight, they really take off and grow. If I need to put a trail through that area I will pop the stumps out with the excavator, but mostly I just leave them to decompose. Remaining trees do not do well if you run over the roots with equipment.....Dan.

 

[oosik]

I've already got all my thinning, dragging & piling done for the year - 870 small pines. Now the fun part - chipping. That, for me, is the most enjoyable. I get to use my big equipment - tractor and chipper - and its not so physically taxing. I do the chipping early - before sunrise - start at 5am and shut down at 9am. Its before the ticks and mosquitos are out and about. Lately the puppy and I have been bringing a few ticks back into the house. Hate ticks - wake up in the middle of the night - feel one crawling across the old bod. About another four days or so and all this years pines will be chipped up.

 

[LMychajluk]

We could use some idea of your budget.
Your string trimmer with blade is the tool you need to get small stumps near ground level but I think your FS90 may be underpowered. I've a Stihl FS110 and and FS250 I can handle 2 inch trees easily with the FS250.
...

Since you have a Stihl fs90 already, have you considered a pole saw attachment for it?{about $200.} I have one on my fs110, and it is probably one of my most frequently used tools. ...

No real budget, but as I mentioned previously, we just bought the tractor, chipper, grapple, etc..., so I don't want to spend a ton more money on this particular project right now, and it's not going to be a fiscal priority (I have a retaining wall project that get's that honor). If it comes down to it, though, a second brush saw might be in the future, especially if I need to spend more than ~$200 for the blade, guard, adapters, full harness and the handlebars(?) to run the FS90 safely. But if I do that, I may be interested in the FS 130 Kombi system, which doesn't give me a big step up in power. I'm not sure how the pole saw would help, though (unless you can angle the head to make the flush cuts?). We do have a Works 10" chainsaw with the pole attachment for small pruning jobs, as well as the Jawsaw (w/o the extension handle).

But I honestly, don't think I'll be cutting much more than 1" or so. The few that I have to cut that may be thicker than that I'll deal with with the chainsaw or even a hand bow saw. The areas I'm looking at aren't as dense as it sounds like some of you are dealing with. It's actually fairly easy to walk through, but mixed into these stands are a number of birch trees (paper white birch, I think...). I want to give these trees a chance, so I really just want to clean out any smaller trees that might be growing to too close to them and generally 'tidy up' a bit (as well as clean up all the dead fall that's been accumulating). The place is a vacation / summer home, but I may run up there tomorrow to mow the lawn if the weather clears a bit, and will try and grab a few pics to give you a better idea.

Thanks again for the suggestions!

 

[oosik]

I've got just about every "head" that Stihl makes for my FS350. Two types of string head, a tri-lobed metal head, a carbide tipped saw blade head and my favorite - a head with three free swinging nylon blades.

Three years ago I had an idea - I took a brand new nylon blade to the local metal working shop and had them make six out of high carbon steel. I don't really think the steel blades cut much better than the nylon - maybe a little and they are quite a bit heavier. But the thing is - they last forever. I don't see them as being any more dangerous than the nylon ones either. You just need to be darn sure the back shield is in place and fully functional. I also check the screws that hold the blades every time I use the unit.