Making pasture from forest - leaving stumps

[cowski]

take a chain saw and cut them off ground level. then just bush hog over them.

 

[Johnp33]

We had a local guy years ago that had a D6 cat with a rototiller, grinder, beater, set up that would take raw ground and pulverise it you could plant anything on it and it grew great because of the moisture retained from the rotting material and the natural fertiliser.
I saw it do a field with 8 inch hardwoods and 4 inch softwoods, I do not know about big stumps. I never saw it tackle that.

 

[JakeBrake]

Another problem with leaving the stumps is that grass and weeds will grow, hiding the stumps. You can't depend on livestock to mow your grass in a newly cleared field. They will eat the good stuff and leave the noxious weeds to spread rapidly. Colliding with a large hidden stump can do serious damage to your tractor and/or bush hog.

 

[Carl_NH]

Curious as to how you get a good stand of fescue if you leave all the tree roots? Do you try and disc through roots and all or no till the fescue???
Thanks

RJJR,

Roots are underground - grinding stumps (here anyway) takes the stump 1-6" below ground and a 24" stump 1' foot above ground will generally grind a 48" area to grind out the main trunk base roots low enough to plant over.

This leaves the soil around the roots in the ground and then one can disc and get enough organic matter to grow grass.

 

[Carl_NH]

Gee,you must have realy different trees over there. Down under the nitrogen leaches out of the mulch into the ground.
Stupid me the nitrogen is going in the same direction.:laughing:

Tony,

Chips can be cow chips - they have tons of nitrogen and are great. Wood chips on the other hand are carbon based and "steal nitrogen" from the soil until they decompose. This process usually takes 2-3 years.

It depends on what you are mulching - if its old growth forest with a good layer of existing "compost" then mulching in the chips is no problem. The original poster stated "very little topsoil" so his ground is depleted - wood chips will need tons of fertilizer for the first two years until they break down.

 

[RJJR]

RJJR,

Roots are underground - grinding stumps (here anyway) takes the stump 1-6" below ground and a 24" stump 1' foot above ground will generally grind a 48" area to grind out the main trunk base roots low enough to plant over.

This leaves the soil around the roots in the ground and then one can disc and get enough organic matter to grow grass.

Now I get it. What would you do if the land consisted of thousands of volunteer loblolly pines that are about 15 tall but no more than 4 inches in diameter? It's essentially large underbrush. I was going to mow them with a large Hydro ax but not sure what to do wit the roots since I wanted to plant grass.
Thanks.

 

[MossflowerWoods]

Farmboy I suggest you read MossflowerWoods threads in the landclearing forum on this site. There is heaps of good info :thumbsup:

I was just going to say that...



David

 

[MossflowerWoods]

Looking for some ideas:

I'd like to make some new pasture. We've got about 6 acres of oak that was recently thinned - slash and stumps are still there.

Anyone have luck doing this? Horror stories?

Thanks.

David

David,

As you know we David's are the smartest an best looking of all men...



I'm working my 5 acres of clear cut into pasture for horses as I type....

Please look over my threads, there are many... Especially the ones in land clearing. "Mosnter Mulcher" is a good one.

You can also PM me for specifics as needed.

I would love to be helpful, so many have helped me... :thumbsup:

David

 

[schmism]

Id go with a large comercial mulcher to mulch the stumps and the tops.

Then a light discing and sead with pasture mix and go.

 

[Johnp33]

I googled clearing land with a rototiller, and on the second page was an attachment for a skid steer, rock saw land clearer.
There is a video of it clearing trees and brush to a depth of about 10 inches