Clearing Brush- What do you use?

   / Clearing Brush- What do you use? #21  
Do you use and herbicides as part of your clearing?

This year was unusually wet and where I typically cut once for fire season I have cut 4 times and still could almost cut a 5th.

Thinking of going back to Herbicides for some as I am tired of tumbling down the steep hillsides as the ground drys out...

Thought about goats but would need to fence everything and know that would be a lot of work and expense.
 
   / Clearing Brush- What do you use? #22  
Years ago I cleared about 5 acres by running pigs and goats. The goats ate anything they could reach and the pigs rooted up anything on the ground. It only took about 3 months for 20 hogs and 30 goats to clear the land. Then I sold them at the livestock auction for a nice profit. Wait until about 2 weeks before Passover if you want a good price for goats. Market hogs can go any time. Don't let them get too big. Goats take a good fence with standoff electrical wire to keep them from climbing the wire. Pigs will respect a single strand electric nose wire.
 
   / Clearing Brush- What do you use? #23  
The biggest brush I have around here is Buck Brush. Gets maybe 2.5 feet high and 1/2 inch in diameter. Clean any area out with my riding lawn mower.
 
   / Clearing Brush- What do you use? #24  
I use this for just about anything big.

IMG_4226.JPG

Mulcher resize.jpg

Before view
View one Pre Site prep  IMG_4292.JPG

After view post planting
View one Post plant  IMG_4380.JPG

Same place but pointed a bit further to the left.
View two Post plant  IMG_4381.JPG

I use a brush hog for the light weight stuff
 
   / Clearing Brush- What do you use? #25  
Do you use and herbicides as part of your clearing?

I use it on poison oak and on the cut stumps of trees and really large brush (4"+) to keep them from re sprouting. I try to avoid chemicals but the PO is insane and I'm very allergic to it.

It looks like I'll need to mow the grassy cleared areas one more "last" time. This will be the third "last" time, and about three times as often as normal. We had 100 inches of rain this winter. But the well's full and the dry farm tomatoes in the garden are very happy.
 
   / Clearing Brush- What do you use? #27  
In areas where I can get a tractor a Brown 472 brush hog and either a 4610 SU Ford or New Holland Workmaster 50...
On areas I can't access with a tractor I use Round Up and come back later with a brush cutter or grapple if possible...
 
   / Clearing Brush- What do you use? #28  
I use a 6 foot brush hog to take care care of brush if it can't cut it I use a chain saw and throw it in the fire pit.
 
   / Clearing Brush- What do you use? #29  
I use it on poison oak and on the cut stumps of trees and really large brush (4"+) to keep them from re sprouting. I try to avoid chemicals but the PO is insane and I'm very allergic to it.

It looks like I'll need to mow the grassy cleared areas one more "last" time. This will be the third "last" time, and about three times as often as normal. We had 100 inches of rain this winter. But the well's full and the dry farm tomatoes in the garden are very happy.

Yep... me too as far as poison oak... I can run the Dozer to blade an area and never get off the machine and the next day every patch of exposed skin will have Poison Oak... learned quickly to avoid anything that creates dust because that is how susceptible I am...

After decades battling Poison Oak I have it pretty much under control... some vines are coke bottle diameter and some bushes are like solid 8' hedge rows.

I confess that it is a great satisfaction to make my annual search and destroy mission looking for new Poison Oak growth...
 
   / Clearing Brush- What do you use? #30  
I worked for the Forrest Service - summers - while in high school. Learn that I was EXTREMELY allergic to PO. Wildfire burned thru a patch of PO - I was in the smoke - two days later I was in the hospital. At that time - late 50's - the family DR had a two or three dose session of something that cured my allergic reaction for the summer. Do not remember what it was but it did work. Fortunately, PO & PI do not grow on my property here.
 
 
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