Brush, Tree, & Vines Mess

[Haoleguy]

My reactive planning is now getting the best of me. You see I thought I was ahead of the game when I knocked down spruce(~20), pulled out the invasive autumn olive(~50), and ripped out those nasty viney things on 5 acres. Now I have several piles. The fire district won't let me burn because there's no dwelling and water source on the land. State DEP says fire district can give burn permit for those with farm status. The town tax assessor says you can't get junior farm status until you sell something over ?$. No provision for someone who is trying to get a farm operation going. Now to the chase I will nicely pound on the fire marshall again before I go to plan B...no not bury it. I'm looking at companies that run a portable brush and stump grinding business...those big grinders that towns contract to use to reduce the brush waste at the local dump. Any thoughts on this avenue..good choice?....how costly should I expect this to be for grinding and removal? Anyone in CT or RI have experience with these companies in our region?..Many thanks in advance.

 

[Haoleguy]

My reactive planning is now getting the best of me. You see I thought I was ahead of the game when I knocked down spruce(~20), pulled out the invasive autumn olive(~50), and ripped out those nasty viney things on 5 acres. Now I have several piles. The fire district won't let me burn because there's no dwelling and water source on the land. State DEP says fire district can give burn permit for those with farm status. The town tax assessor says you can't get junior farm status until you sell something over ?$. No provision for someone who is trying to get a farm operation going. Now to the chase I will nicely pound on the fire marshall again before I go to plan B...no not bury it. I'm looking at companies that run a portable brush and stump grinding business...those big grinders that towns contract to use to reduce the brush waste at the local dump. Any thoughts on this avenue..good choice?....how costly should I expect this to be for grinding and removal? Anyone in CT or RI have experience with these companies in our region?..Many thanks in advance.

 

[Highbeam]

You'll still have a huge pile of hog fuel. I would find a convenient place to stash all those piles. Surely you have a corner somewhere that is less suitable for crops or animals. Wait until the permit issues are dealt with and then burn them.

Can you have any fires? Even "recreational" ones? Here, my recreational fires can be 4 feet in any direction. Not that I limit my piles but if you get a good hot 4 footer going and keep feeding it so that it stays pretty small then you can burn an amazing amount of slash over a longer period of time.

I would just pile it real tight, tall, and clean in an out of the way place that can be used for burning. My first ever official permit was easily allowed and authorized a pile 50 feet in any direction. Now that's a fire.

 

[Highbeam]

You'll still have a huge pile of hog fuel. I would find a convenient place to stash all those piles. Surely you have a corner somewhere that is less suitable for crops or animals. Wait until the permit issues are dealt with and then burn them.

Can you have any fires? Even "recreational" ones? Here, my recreational fires can be 4 feet in any direction. Not that I limit my piles but if you get a good hot 4 footer going and keep feeding it so that it stays pretty small then you can burn an amazing amount of slash over a longer period of time.

I would just pile it real tight, tall, and clean in an out of the way place that can be used for burning. My first ever official permit was easily allowed and authorized a pile 50 feet in any direction. Now that's a fire.

 

[KentT]

I just paid $425 an hour for a Vermeer 365 horizontal grinder and an approximate 30,000lb trackhoe to feed it, in Tennessee. I don't know who does this in the CT area, but I've seen track-mounted grinders in south-central MA, so I know they're around.

You'll be surprised at how fast they can grind a huge pile. Here's some pictures:

http://www.simpletractors.com/subsite/making_mulch.htm

 

[KentT]

I just paid $425 an hour for a Vermeer 365 horizontal grinder and an approximate 30,000lb trackhoe to feed it, in Tennessee. I don't know who does this in the CT area, but I've seen track-mounted grinders in south-central MA, so I know they're around.

You'll be surprised at how fast they can grind a huge pile. Here's some pictures:

http://www.simpletractors.com/subsite/making_mulch.htm

 

[hudr]

Why not bury it? I just had a couple of big piles buried. Of course, I had also just spent roughly $2500 on dozer work on my 55 acres. But the contractor brought out his JD trackhoe, dug a hole and used his D6 cat to push the piles in, packed them with the trackhoe and dozer and then covered them up. I would say each hole was close to 15 feet deep. I don't think I'll ever have to worry about any of those persimmon trees sprouting up. So unless the property is laced w/ utilities, I vote for burying w/ heavy equipment.

 

[hudr]

Why not bury it? I just had a couple of big piles buried. Of course, I had also just spent roughly $2500 on dozer work on my 55 acres. But the contractor brought out his JD trackhoe, dug a hole and used his D6 cat to push the piles in, packed them with the trackhoe and dozer and then covered them up. I would say each hole was close to 15 feet deep. I don't think I'll ever have to worry about any of those persimmon trees sprouting up. So unless the property is laced w/ utilities, I vote for burying w/ heavy equipment.

 

[Highbeam]

I have a little problem with both burying and creating huge pockets of ground mulch. Two problems really, settlement and insects. WOn't the ants and termites just go crazy in those piles? Won't those huge piles of mulch decay over time? I'm all for even mulching and reincorporating the mulch into the soil over the entire area but it seems concentrating the material would make pockets of rotting bug food.

I would love to have that grinder come out and make me a huge pile too. I would then distribute it over the land.

 

[Highbeam]

I have a little problem with both burying and creating huge pockets of ground mulch. Two problems really, settlement and insects. WOn't the ants and termites just go crazy in those piles? Won't those huge piles of mulch decay over time? I'm all for even mulching and reincorporating the mulch into the soil over the entire area but it seems concentrating the material would make pockets of rotting bug food.

I would love to have that grinder come out and make me a huge pile too. I would then distribute it over the land.

 

[tinsnip]

"The town tax assessor says you can't get junior farm status until you sell something over ?$."

Ask a friend to write you a check for "?$". Load his truck with however many fir seedlings, poison ivy plants, dead apples, whatever could be construed as "farm product" and is readily available on your property. Write him a receipt for same and produce a copy and bill of sale for yourself. Show it to the tax assessor to achieve junior farm status. Obtain burning permit. Burn slash and invite friend. Pay him back for his help with cold beverage at fireside. (returning check is your call).

Burning brush is extremely efficient. No worries when it's over. <font color="blue"> </font>

 

[tinsnip]

"The town tax assessor says you can't get junior farm status until you sell something over ?$."

Ask a friend to write you a check for "?$". Load his truck with however many fir seedlings, poison ivy plants, dead apples, whatever could be construed as "farm product" and is readily available on your property. Write him a receipt for same and produce a copy and bill of sale for yourself. Show it to the tax assessor to achieve junior farm status. Obtain burning permit. Burn slash and invite friend. Pay him back for his help with cold beverage at fireside. (returning check is your call).

Burning brush is extremely efficient. No worries when it's over. <font color="blue"> </font>

 

[KentT]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I have a little problem with both burying and creating huge pockets of ground mulch. Two problems really, settlement and insects. WOn't the ants and termites just go crazy in those piles? Won't those huge piles of mulch decay over time? I'm all for even mulching and reincorporating the mulch into the soil over the entire area but it seems concentrating the material would make pockets of rotting bug food.

I would love to have that grinder come out and make me a huge pile too. I would then distribute it over the land. )</font>

Those huge piles are only temporary. They piled it to keep it out of the way as much as possible, then spread the topsoil and backbladed it smooth enough for me to evenually mow with the rough-cut mower. It's now sowed in fescue and annual ryegrass (for fast germination & growth) for erosion control... The guys who ground it up also cautioned about using freshly-ground mulch full of green material, saying it was so acidic that it can kill the trees and shrubs that you put it around, if you put a thick layer down. Luckily, most of these trees were removed and piled last September, and have dried out pretty well, so they shouldn't be as acidic.

I'm planning for it to decay -- that's one of the reasons I didn't want to just bury everything (even the mulch) and then deal with constant settling as the stuff decayed below ground level. As far as ants and termites, I'll just have to wait and see. There's a lot of dirt mixed in with this mulch from grinding stumps, rootballs and all. Hopefully that will help reduce the chance of termites.

Beginning the end of this month, I'll start thinning the undergrowth around the edge of the clearing and spreading the mulch there. I had a thumb welded on my minihoe and I think I can just pull out most of the smaller stuff, roots and all -- leaving no little stumps to puncture tires nor sprout back into saplings. Then, I'll spread a 4" - 6" layer of mulch along the treeline and feather it back into the woods. This will give a defined edge for the grass to mow along, while helping prevent the germination of long-dormant seeds and sprouts now that the treeline will get sunshine for the first time in recent history...

I'll also use 4" - 6" layers of mulch to "landscape" around the few remaining stumps that I didn't have the trackhoe remove, so that I won't need to manually trim around those, nor worry about hitting them with the rough-cut mower. My goal is to eliminate as much "weed-whacking" as I can, since I'll only be visiting the property a few times a year -- it's 900 miles away!

I'll also leave a couple spots with a 1' - 2' layer just to decompose into rich, organic, acidic topsoil for a blueberry patch....

Those are the plans, at least. We'll see how they work out...

 

[KentT]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I have a little problem with both burying and creating huge pockets of ground mulch. Two problems really, settlement and insects. WOn't the ants and termites just go crazy in those piles? Won't those huge piles of mulch decay over time? I'm all for even mulching and reincorporating the mulch into the soil over the entire area but it seems concentrating the material would make pockets of rotting bug food.

I would love to have that grinder come out and make me a huge pile too. I would then distribute it over the land. )</font>

Those huge piles are only temporary. They piled it to keep it out of the way as much as possible, then spread the topsoil and backbladed it smooth enough for me to evenually mow with the rough-cut mower. It's now sowed in fescue and annual ryegrass (for fast germination & growth) for erosion control... The guys who ground it up also cautioned about using freshly-ground mulch full of green material, saying it was so acidic that it can kill the trees and shrubs that you put it around, if you put a thick layer down. Luckily, most of these trees were removed and piled last September, and have dried out pretty well, so they shouldn't be as acidic.

I'm planning for it to decay -- that's one of the reasons I didn't want to just bury everything (even the mulch) and then deal with constant settling as the stuff decayed below ground level. As far as ants and termites, I'll just have to wait and see. There's a lot of dirt mixed in with this mulch from grinding stumps, rootballs and all. Hopefully that will help reduce the chance of termites.

Beginning the end of this month, I'll start thinning the undergrowth around the edge of the clearing and spreading the mulch there. I had a thumb welded on my minihoe and I think I can just pull out most of the smaller stuff, roots and all -- leaving no little stumps to puncture tires nor sprout back into saplings. Then, I'll spread a 4" - 6" layer of mulch along the treeline and feather it back into the woods. This will give a defined edge for the grass to mow along, while helping prevent the germination of long-dormant seeds and sprouts now that the treeline will get sunshine for the first time in recent history...

I'll also use 4" - 6" layers of mulch to "landscape" around the few remaining stumps that I didn't have the trackhoe remove, so that I won't need to manually trim around those, nor worry about hitting them with the rough-cut mower. My goal is to eliminate as much "weed-whacking" as I can, since I'll only be visiting the property a few times a year -- it's 900 miles away!

I'll also leave a couple spots with a 1' - 2' layer just to decompose into rich, organic, acidic topsoil for a blueberry patch....

Those are the plans, at least. We'll see how they work out...