Clearing Old Cutover / 150 acres

[tonyoz]

Way to go Andy :thumbsup::thumbsup: Goes to show cheap is what birds do and cheap and quality can't be used in the same sentence. Did you use the 90 for the mulching?

 

[DIRTROAD]

There is a very big difference between wildfire and prescribed fire! It is important to know the difference.
I have a couple of videos on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nn9_aVAfh4k

 

[paulharvey]

The OP was making pasture, not peanut fields. If he has a scattering of 6" trees remaining that won't be a bad thing. Some standing dead wood wouldn't be the end of the world either. I'm just trying to find a Cheap way, but I would disk fire lines, burn, then disk the burnt areas, spread seed, and then drag it with an old log and chain. Total cost, maybe $10,000 ($8000 for an old 2WD large tractor and $2000 for a 8 ft disk). If he's unhappy with the remaining trees, cut them.


Edit: well, plus a couple grand in seed, fuel, fertilizer, ect

 

[crossroadsd]

Thanks to everybody for the suggestions.

Right now I am going to do some more research and see what is going to work best for me. I will let you know how it turns out.

 

[yellowdogsvc]

Hey Red, that work looked good.
We are using logs like that (not marketable for much) as erosion control and laying them on contour and either mulching behind them or piling mulch up against it.

When you burn, unless you are creating biochar, you are losing a lot of the good stuff to put back down. I realize not everyone can budget mulching but burning is becoming more and more taboo around here.

 

[yellowdogsvc]

Hey Red, that work looked good.
We are using logs like that (not marketable for much) as erosion control and laying them on contour and either mulching behind them or piling mulch up against it.

When you burn, unless you are creating biochar, you are losing a lot of the good stuff to put back down. I realize not everyone can budget mulching but burning is becoming more and more taboo around here.

 

[redprospector]

I'll tell ya what Red!! I wish our operator with that bron could make half of his work look like that!! Did ya haul the logs of for anything merchantable?

If he's really an operator he can. I'm going to have to make firewood out of the logs, won't be any profit in that though.

Way to go Andy :thumbsup::thumbsup: Goes to show cheap is what birds do and cheap and quality can't be used in the same sentence. Did you use the 90 for the mulching?

No, didn't use the 90 on that part. But that is where I blew the engine in the 90. Believe it or not, I did that with the T320 and Tushogg head. The 90's going back in there in the spring, when the snow's gone. The top of the hill in the pictures is 9300 ft. elevation.

Hey Red, that work looked good.
We are using logs like that (not marketable for much) as erosion control and laying them on contour and either mulching behind them or piling mulch up against it.

When you burn, unless you are creating biochar, you are losing a lot of the good stuff to put back down. I realize not everyone can budget mulching but burning is becoming more and more taboo around here.

Thanks, the land owner wants all the logs gone, the mulch holds pretty good as long as the slope isn't much steeper than what I'm on there. I wish I could leave a bunch of those sticks there, it's 45 minutes to pavement with a load, and then another 1 1/2 hours to my place on 6 to 9% grades.

 

[redprospector]

There is a very big difference between wildfire and prescribed fire! It is important to know the difference.
I have a couple of videos on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nn9_aVAfh4k

Believe me, I know the difference between a prescribed fire and a wild fire. If all the land owner is wanting to do is get rid of the under brush, a prescribed fire would probably do an acceptable job. If he's wanting to open the canopy and get some grass growing for a pasture, I think he's going to have to do some kind of mechanical treatment along with, or in place of burning. This is just my opinion, based on my experience. Things may be way different that far East of here.

 

[redprospector]

The OP was making pasture, not peanut fields. If he has a scattering of 6" trees remaining that won't be a bad thing. Some standing dead wood wouldn't be the end of the world either. I'm just trying to find a Cheap way, but I would disk fire lines, burn, then disk the burnt areas, spread seed, and then drag it with an old log and chain. Total cost, maybe $10,000 ($8000 for an old 2WD large tractor and $2000 for a 8 ft disk). If he's unhappy with the remaining trees, cut them.


Edit: well, plus a couple grand in seed, fuel, fertilizer, ect

Wow! You guy's get seed, fuel, fertilizer, and etc. a lot cheaper than we can out here. :laughing: I can barely drive over 150 acres for 2 grand in diesel. :laughing:
I'm not trying to start a pissing match...just showing a couple of pictures of one of the op's options.

 

[paulharvey]

Wow! You guy's get seed, fuel, fertilizer, and etc. a lot cheaper than we can out here. :laughing: I can barely drive over 150 acres for 2 grand in diesel. :laughing:
I'm not trying to start a pissing match...just showing a couple of pictures of one of the op's options.

Well it's an guess, we don't actually know much about his soil condition. The fire will jump start the existing grasses very quickly; or at least it does in Florida, where fires are just part of the early summer.

 

[redprospector]

There was a discussion earlier in this thread about how long it would take for grass to grow back where trees had been mulched. I knew I had pictures, but I had to find them. This job was completed in mid May last year. The pictures were taken in September.

 

[redprospector]

The areas where the canopy wasn't opened up very well are a little slower at coming back. You've gotta have sunshine to grow grass.



So it doesn't take long for the grass to come back (4 1/2 months these photos). The areas that were opened up came back quicker than the areas that were left heavy. Your results may vary.

 

[yellowdogsvc]

Red, I had a forester tell me that nothing will grow where mulchers have been. I disagreed! I have customers that tell me the same thing.. and opt for chipping. I use my property as an example and explain that it's the mulcher operator that makes the difference. It takes longer when big, coarse shreds are built up so thick that it smothers the ground. When the operator creates a place for the grasses to be protected and the shreds compost and add ground cover, the grasses can come back quicker. You do need sunshine and some rain but mostly, grass seeds are already present and probably dormant. Good mulching creates places for birds and mammals to deposit more seeds as well as a place for runoff to deposit seed.
I reclaimed a caliche pit and keep adding layers of shreds to build the area up. I do it in thin layers so my existing grasses aren't smothered. A few years ago there was nothing there..a moonscape. I now have to mow that area after it goes to seed.

good information and pics!

 

[paulharvey]

For your fairly light trees have you considered a "hydro axe" or boom mower. We have used them to cut 5-6" limbs and trees in right of way clearing. Ebay item 331141296138 as an example (not sure how to copy the actual page). They are often sold by county, city, and state Road department. It would be slower than a true mulcher, but your probably only in it for $10-15k, and you get a 70-100 hp tractor. There are two styles of mower heads (that I've been around at least); one has a large 36" circular saw blade that doesn't mulch well but cuts nice in some of the bigger material; and a triple bladed hydraulic bush hog that can cut it down and then mulch the pile.

http://www.govdeals.com/index.cfm?fa=Main.Item&itemid=70&acctid=163