Creating a Lake

[JayDavis]

Looks good, Eddie. I am up in the Mount Pleasant, TX area myself. I wish I had a bulldozer to play around with. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif I have about 10 acres of trees I'd like to clear off. It used to be pine, but when they were cut, all sorts of stuff like sasafras sprung up like wild fire.

 

[EddieWalker]

Hi Jay,

Sounds like we're neighbors. I'm actuall right next to Winona, but have a Tyler mailing address.

It's truly amazing how fast the trees will spring up after the land has been cleared. For me, it's the sweet gums, but also oaks and pines. In a year, the sweet gums will be taller than I am. Even when I take out a tree, if I let it lay there, it will start growing again. Just amazing.

Eddie

 

[JayDavis]

You are about 60 miles away as the crow flies. I live north of Mount Pleasant on FM 1402 (aka Harts Bluff road).

Your land clearing pictures look good. All I've got is a 90hp tractor, a chainsaw, and a machete. A bulldozer would be a fun toy. The last time we had one out here we got it to jump BOTH of it's tracks and blew out one side's track tensioner system. Grease was everywhere.... Did I mention it was a dozer my dad borrowed from work? They had to get a large crew out here just to retreive it.

 

[EddieWalker]

Only the trees on the left still have to come out for the lake. Probably a little over an acre left. Then there's the cleaning up of hte burn pile. This is turning into the hardest part of the whole project. Burning the trees and brush green.

Eddie

 

[EddieWalker]

Every morning it's the same thing. Start half a dozen new fires in the pile and punch up the pile. We're adding more material to the pile than we're burning.

Eddie

 

[EddieWalker]

Here's a picture of me in front of a root ball to a cotton wood. This is a pretty good sized one, but not the largest. Most of the dirt falls off of the roots when the tree is pushed to the fire. I doubt I'll ever burn all the roots in the fire, which is fine, because I'll use them for structure in the lake when it's done.

Eddie

 

[Farwell]

Eddie,
That is one serious root ball. At least 3 times the size of any that I have had to deal with on my property.
I can only burn in the late Winter due to all the pine needles on the property surrounding mine. My burn permit does not allow me to burn root balls so I dig a pit, put them below grade out of site, stack the brush and trunks on top just in case the fire chief inspects the pile.
Love your posts.
Farwell

 

[EddieWalker]

Farwell,

No permits here, and only a few rules that I've pieced together about burning.

Not too close to a highway, but the distance isn't clear or enforced very often.

There was a burn ban for a short period of time for my county during the summer, but it wasn't very long. The counties closer to Dallas are still under a ban, but they are also allot drying areas.

One of the things about Texas that really attracted me to moving here and building the RV Park was the freedom I had to build without any government interferance.

Eddie

 

[8NTX]

We're still under a burn ban in Henderson County (right next to Smith County where you are). My burn piles are starting to get big. And our lake is down 3.5 feet. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[Louisiana_John]

What I do when my piles get a lot of dirt and get were they don't push together well anymore. I will state a new one near by. Usually after a few days get a hot spot in a new pile. Take the other one apart and add to new one. The old stuff should be dryer. Move to the side of were you are going to push for the levy dirt. When done do like you said push in hole for structure. If the large piles are hard to maintain sometimes I will halfway lib large trees so I can get a tight pile. I always wish I had a hoe with a thumb with I am building big piles. These are just my thoughts.
John