Brush & Tree Disposal

[bczoom]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I haven't met a type of wood that isn't good for burning in a woodstove. Some are better, sure, but none are no good. The only trick is the pine will shorten the creosote cleaning interval for the chimney. )</font>

I agree that most any wood "can" be burned. Personally, I don't/won't burn any type of pine/spruce in my woodstove or fireplace. For the woodstove, I've been told to avoid pine because the creosote can quickly clog the catalytic convertor. My stove isn't direct connect to the chimney so I need to remove the stove to do a chimney sweep. Don't want to do that any more than I have to.

In the fireplace, it pops too much and sends burning embers out onto the carpet.

I re-read Haoleguy's initial post and by his description of "</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I have mounds of trees/brush/vines and am facing a disposal, removal, chipping, & burning decision. From the experience of others how can I best attack these piles to get rid of it??)</font>", it sounds like he just wants it gone.
Mentally, I'm picturing these piles being all tangled up due to the tractor pushing into a pile and the vines/brush making it difficult to work in the pile to separate for usable purposes. If they were my piles, they would just meet some diesel and a match.

Brian

 

[have_blue]

I simply push my stuff up into a pile and let it rot. I cut bigger trees up into 10 foot lengths so they will pile more compactly. As the leaves and small twigs decay, the pile shrinks quickly, and quite a lot.

The rabbits and birds really enjoy the cover. The missus doesn't really like the brush pile, but all I have to say is "Oh, look at the cute bunny"! and I win. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Haoleguy]

bczoom : Correct on the pile entanglement. The vines have essentially tried to choke all the other invasive plants and trees over the past 20-30years. Regardless of my choice of disposal it appears I now need a grapple to move this stuff around efficiently. I will be checking on the burn permits here but I suspect it will be a dead of winter permit only. Cheers.

 

[psuedofarmer]

i've been clearing/restoring fields for nearly 3 years now on my farm. some of my burn piles reach mammoth proportions (e.g., 30x30ft), and contain wet/dry/unseasonsed/stumps, etc.

when burning such large piles, i ALWAYS wait for snow on the ground, and always try to burn when its precipitating.

good luck
pf

 

[BoneheadNW]

Just a couple more comments. When we had the area cleared to build our house (approx 1.5 acres cleared), my wife and I decided that all of the trees/brush would be used by us in some way. The brush and branches were chipped using a tub grinder (which was fed by an excavator) and the trees were stacked in the back yard for me to cut/split to use as firewood. Tub grinder cost was $200/hr and took around 3 hours to grind everything making a huge mulch pile. We used the mulch (after decaying for almost 2 years) in combination with other soil amendments to improve the crud we have as soil. I bucked every last tree stacked in the backyard, gave some to buddies at work, and have used the wood to heat the house for 3 years now. I'm not saying that it was worth my time, but someone made the mistake of saying "There is no way you are going to cut up all of those logs!" From then on ther was no doubt I would do it.

Whatever method you chose, good luck and be safe.

Bonehead

 

[Tdog]

Haoleguy,
I used to accumulate trees & brush until I had a good size pile & then, weather permitting, we'd burn. Burning was not my favorite task. Waiting for snow would be a decade-long wait. If I burned in the summer, it was, well, too hot. Besides, it is a lot of work & we never left the burn unattended. It consumed quite a bit of the day.
Since I've had a tractor with a FEL, I've been towing, hauling, or pulling trees, etc back to the back of my property & 'hiding' it in the woods. My bone pile is pretty dang big by now. It well eventually rot away. Whatever, it's out of sight, & it is a lot quicker and a LOT more fun than burn piles.
It may not work for everyone, but it's been right for me.

 

[Junkman]

When I inquired about burning a large pile of brush, the local fire department told me that it is illegal to burn any wood over 3" in diameter. That quickly ended my thoughts of burning anything. I just left the piles out to weather and after a few years they were rotted down to almost nothing. Pine rots quickly, so if it isn't a aesthetic problem, let it rot...

 

[psuedofarmer]

the 3" diameter restriction is common. fire depts. in NH have the same language in their burn permit restriction. however, that doesn't seem to stop farmers, developers, and individual home owners from 'bending' the rules.

the local fire dept (most of whom i know personally in my neck of the woods) should be approachable. it may be prudent to talk to them about your situation. it would help if you applied for the burn permit during winter (with snow on the ground) and during a nor'easter.

good luck.

pf

 

[Haoleguy]

All - An update on the burn possibility. I stopped by to see the fire district chief about a burn permit. It turns out that I met all criteria except for one.........I do not have a residence at the property. He said the Connecticut EPA holds the strings and there is still a chance based on future agriculture use of the cleared land. Next week is the followup with the state EPA. The alternatives to burning are pricey but I'm still chasing a few leads down. Thanks to all. I will still monitor this thread to see if any other suggestions come up. Cheers!

 

[bczoom]

Haoleguy,

A quick anecdote that applies.

A friend of mine's Dad has a hundred or so acre farm in Ohio. Some ordinance passed that you can't burn unless it's for recreational cooking. So, he builds a huge pile of all the stuff he needs to burn, lights it and backs up to his chair where he has a hotdog on a stick that he holds up (from about 50' away). The local law enforcement did stop by one time but pretty much shook their heads and left.

Not sure if you could take this approach where you are. Check with the local fire district again and ask the "what if" I put up a tent for the weekend. Can I burn fires so I can cook? With a wink, also make sure they do know how big it's going to be so there's no problems once the burning actually does start.

Brian