Most efficient way to clear land

[Dukeisok]

I have about 2 acres on the back of my land that I wish to clear. Long before me I believe it was pasture that was neglected and now grown up. My intention is to clear and stump to the point I can put in a food plot. The land currently has about 30 to 40 Virginia pines that range from 16 to 20 inches in diameter. There are a handful of larger poplars and oaks that I intend to leave, and bunches of small secondary growth stuff, sweet gum sourwood, red cedar and such.

I own: an 88 horsepower high flow skid steer with over tire tracks and following relevant attachments:

disc forestry mulcher (rut 60 in)
Stump bucket with grapple
60 in root grapple
Buckets (smooth and toothed)
3 point high flow adaptor
Land plane

I also have a 47 hp 4wd tractor with fel and cat 2 3 point hitch (oversized but relevant to the attachments)
3 point stump grinder (woodland mills)
Box scrape
Two bottom turn plow
Huge disc harrow (9 feet)
Huge rototiller (8 foot howard selectatilth)

Chainsaw

My skid steer implements are new, the stump grinder is new, the 3 point stuff is ancient and inherited. My tractor will just barely pick up the tiller and is essentially unsteerable with it on. The skid steer runs it fine on an adaptor.

My time is valuable, I still work full time and have young kids at home so time spent in the woods takes me away from family time, though I do enjoy it.

I've currently got a 7500 pound mini ex and a dump trailer on rent for the week that I used for another project as I'm out with covid (asymptomatic).

There is a landfill less than a mile away that will accept clearing debris for $40 per dump load.



What is the most efficient use of my available tools here?

the small stuff is a no brainer. The disc mulcher does a bang up job for anything less than a foot across.

the mini ex is 25 hp and doesn't have the guts to dig the stumps very effectively. It'll do it but slowly and with lots of leverage from a tall stump.

My thought was to drop the larger trees with either a chainsaw or the mulcher (notching and felling), pick them up with the mini ex and cut into 10 foot logs. Load the logs into the trailer and haul to the dump. Cut the stumps to ground level with the mulcher then use the stump grinder to take below grade. Grade the land with the box scrape/ skid bucket or land leveler then till and plant with the skid. The tree tops are piled up to be mulched or burned.

I could also use the grapple on the skid to move the logs (more lift capacity), but climbing in and out of the skid is hard with my arthritis.

I could dig around the stumps to get room to take them down with the disc mulcher and avoid the need for the stump grinder.

No one around rents a track loader though that would be awesome for pushing trees over intact. I've considered renting a bulldozer or larger ex for pushing trees over intact. No experience with a dozer or a midi or full size ex so I'm not sure it would be worth it.

Quotes for someone to clear the land ranged from 15 to 25k, and I'm not doing that.

I could probably convince my 15 year old to run the chainsaw to buck the logs while I lift them but he's in school during the day so I'm on my own while i have the mini ex.

Essentially, it's too much work for one person in the next 48 hours before I have to go back to work, but I'd like to put a dent in it while I can. If I still test positive my work requires me to be out longer, so maybe I'll have more time, though I don't get paid if I'm not at work so mixed blessing there.

Anything I'm missing to make this easier/ faster?

 

[jyoutz]

Your pines are sellable sawlogs. Talk to a forester before you go anything. I would start by selling your merchantable timber. Then deal with your small trees.

 

[mikester]

chainsaw to cut down all wood
burn
rent/hire 30 ton excavator to yank roots and bust up root balls
root rake to clean up
pass over small debris with forestry mulcher

You can use smaller equipment and it will take you longer to get jobs done

Your pine trees may be sellable if they look like utility poles with no branches

 

[D&D]

.Anything I'm missing to make this easier/ faster?

Does where you live allow you to clear without permits? A small area like that I could cut trees but can’t pull stumps without a storm water management plan and grading permit. What’s the fine if you don’t get permits?

 

[Hay Dude]

chainsaw to cut down all wood
burn
rent/hire 30 ton excavator to yank roots and bust up root balls
root rake to clean up
pass over small debris with forestry mulcher

You can use smaller equipment and it will take you longer to get jobs done

Your pine trees may be sellable if they look like utility poles with no branches

Mostly agree with that.
Also if the OP uses his small stuff, he risks breaking/bending/excessive wear on it.

I’d do that job with a 20” saw and a 15 ton rented trackhoe.

30-40 pines is a 2 day job.

 

[Rockbadchild]

Looks like you have the tools you need to get it done, yes renting bigger equipment like a excavator would get it done faster but you just need to pick at it and get her done ... I don't know how pine stumps are hard to remove but good thing you want to leave the poplar there because they are very hard to get out...

 

[Dukeisok]

The Virginia pines are really poor stuff. They have branches all the way up, shallow roots and every storm leads to a couple blowing down. The local state forester came out and said the virginia pines are probably not merchantable. I'm leaving the few shortleaf ones that i have

It never even crossed my mind that I would need a permit to pull the stumps versus cut and grind, but i guess that makes sense.

 

[Rockbadchild]

The Virginia pines are really poor stuff. They have branches all the way up, shallow roots and every storm leads to a couple blowing down. The local state forester came out and said the virginia pines are probably not merchantable. I'm leaving the few shortleaf ones that i have

It never even crossed my mind that I would need a permit to pull the stumps versus cut and grind, but i guess that makes sense.

If that's the case I would try to fall them by pushing them over with the skid steer or the tractor so the roots and stumps lift off the ground then cut them off the stump then it will be easier to remove the rest of the stump with one side already out, it will be faster that way instead of cutting them and dealing with the roots and stump afterwards.

 

[newbury]

Since you seem on a tight timeline.

1. Cut ONE as high as you comfortably can to allow leverage for pulling over. Then try to pull the stump out on THE FIRST one. If that works GREAT.
Cut the rest as high.
Get the son to start chopping them up while you pull the rest.

2. If you can't pull them over easy, set back and plan on doing it on weekends.

 

[Rockbadchild]

Since you seem on a tight timeline.

1. Cut ONE as high as you comfortably can to allow leverage for pulling over. Then try to pull the stump out on THE FIRST one. If that works GREAT.
Cut the rest as high.
Get the son to start chopping them up while you pull the rest.

2. If you can't pull them over easy, set back and plan on doing it on weekends.

I just like to point out the hazards here with both method if cutting a tree high, the tree has lots of room to slide back or sideways if it get hang up on the way down or if one misjudging the lean or heaver side, one need to be aware of this and retreat further to stay clear. Pushing it full length can snap the trunk and fall back on itself but I would say not as probable with pine trees then poplars or aspens.