joe t
Silver Member
Hey I've got some time where I can get free from work with one of my helpers and I'm thinking about clearing some land. We have about 65 acres north east of houston (piney mixed).
I had my helper go brushhog the open areas (few acres) for me since it has been a couple/few years since we have really mowed and I'm trying to keep it maintained. He cut through some areas that haven't been maintained in about 10 years and it came out nice and now I have about 3 more acres of area that is kinda open and it made me think.
So I jumped on the tractor yesterday and cut through some even thicker stuff for a few minutes and it was getting down 2-3 inch sapplings mainly hardwood. Kind hard on the tractor. Luckily for the tractor I hit a culvert and blew the rear tire before getting too far.
Anyway I was thinking about renting a dozer for a week and just having my helper run through the woods and knock down all these sapplings that are below about 10 inches in diameter. Then waiting a couple years and going back through and brushhogging. Would this work? I've seen my neighbor do something similar but he has a bunch of equipment.
The county also wants me to forest the property and we have put in a new timber plan and the forester explained to me that I need open space so that trees will grow. So I need to do some forestry work too. I think this plan will work.
Cliff notes:
1)Run through quickly with a dozer to knock down the smaller tightly growing trees (mainly hardwoood)?
2)Brushhog a couple years later (say with the mower deck up high just to knock everything down and let it rot)?
3)I need to take some timber off and follow the timber plan, should I clear up this land before or after this?
When they forest it will not be a clear cut and they will leave it mixed hardwood and pine. I want the woods to be healthy so we can harvest it every so often, the forester explained all this, mainly the areas need to be open so that the trees will grow up straight etc.
What do you guys think?
I had my helper go brushhog the open areas (few acres) for me since it has been a couple/few years since we have really mowed and I'm trying to keep it maintained. He cut through some areas that haven't been maintained in about 10 years and it came out nice and now I have about 3 more acres of area that is kinda open and it made me think.
So I jumped on the tractor yesterday and cut through some even thicker stuff for a few minutes and it was getting down 2-3 inch sapplings mainly hardwood. Kind hard on the tractor. Luckily for the tractor I hit a culvert and blew the rear tire before getting too far.
Anyway I was thinking about renting a dozer for a week and just having my helper run through the woods and knock down all these sapplings that are below about 10 inches in diameter. Then waiting a couple years and going back through and brushhogging. Would this work? I've seen my neighbor do something similar but he has a bunch of equipment.
The county also wants me to forest the property and we have put in a new timber plan and the forester explained to me that I need open space so that trees will grow. So I need to do some forestry work too. I think this plan will work.
Cliff notes:
1)Run through quickly with a dozer to knock down the smaller tightly growing trees (mainly hardwoood)?
2)Brushhog a couple years later (say with the mower deck up high just to knock everything down and let it rot)?
3)I need to take some timber off and follow the timber plan, should I clear up this land before or after this?
When they forest it will not be a clear cut and they will leave it mixed hardwood and pine. I want the woods to be healthy so we can harvest it every so often, the forester explained all this, mainly the areas need to be open so that the trees will grow up straight etc.
What do you guys think?