Need ideas for clear cut land.

[N80]

Pine stumps won't grow back. But if you ever plan to plow or disk I would get the stumps removed, not just ground. I did this myself on about 2 acres with a basic FEL. It was a pain and took a long time and in general not worth the trouble. I would think a substantial dozer with a heavy root rake shoudl handle the stumps and the debris without a problem. They do around here anyway. Then get the stuff mulched if you want to. I'd think 2 acres would take about a half a day. I have no idea what rates are now but 4-5 years ago a local guy would charge $600 a day in half day increments of $300. In other words if he shows up its going to be $300 even if it is just an hours work. I thought that was very fair, but that was then, I suspect prices are much higher now.

But even if its $1000 I'd say that would be worth it and probably far better than trying to do it with a CUT.

 

[mred]

It has been years since my Forestry degree but it seems that if you are clear cutting and then planting all you are missing is the burning part. I have no idea if this is sound practice in your area for the species you have but it would solve everything except the stump problem. Great for producing good growing conditions and even a good seed bed. Anyone with more knowledge or more recient knowledge care to comment.

 

[N80]

I think that would be fine if he was replanting trees but he wants a 2 acre food plot. That will require a stump free area if he plans to run any ground engaging implements through it. Or at least stumps ground down below the level his implements will go.

 

[arrow]

Sorry Bud

I may have misinterpeted your wording of "food plot" Being a lifelong hunter, a deer food plot came immediately to mind. I've made so many of these over the years I've lost count but never had anything more than a chainsaw and a tractor with a disc tiller. This is in deep New Enland woods. You may be talking about a garden plot for human consumption. If that is the case then I have to agree with N80's way of thinking. Hire a good size dozer of at least 20 tons. He'll be done in no time and it will be done right.

 

[cbturf]

All of these ideas do work but mulching is by far the best way to prep land for a food plot (or any other purpose for that matter). When you push with a dozer or dig with an excavator you disturb your topsoil and subject youself to erosion. When you push and pile you are stuck with a pile that you have to get rid of. If you burn and it gets to hot you sterilize the soil degrading the nutrients available for your plants and damage or kill the overstory trees that are left behind.

When you hire me I come in grind everything up leaving a perfect mulch bed and you can already be planting while I am loading up on the trailer

 

[GaryCrowell]

Unfortunately you don't have any easy way to get a good two acre food plot out of cutover ground. You've got to get the stumps out of there whether it be by an excavator or mulcher like cbturf has, both are expensive. Forget trying to disc over the stumps in the hope that they'll rot, you'll just tear up your disc and tractor and you'll be an old man before they ever rot. For that type of job around here we hire an excavator and a dozer with a root rake. Pull the stumps first then the dozer with the root rake rakes the ground, push the stumps and debris into a windrow off to the side, they'll rot in 30 years or so. I haven't hired a mulcher but I've seen them in use more and more in recent years, I suspect they'd do what you want also. Clearing cutovers takes big equipment, you're not going to do it with a chainsaw, tractor and disc.

 

[Bud Soda]

Thanks for the replies.
Looks like mulching is probably the best way to go. Loggers have not cut all the timber yet because it got wet last week and they couldn't get the log trucks in and out. They told me that after they finish cutting the timber they would run over anything left standing with the skidder so I want have to go in with a chain saw and cut any slapling.

I am leaving the 2 ac open for a deer food plot, so I will probably broadcast plant some oaks, wheat, and rye this fall and see how that does.

 

[woodlandfarms]

With the loggers not finished, have you inquired about them cleaning up? The major loggers in our area have mulchers and are happy to pick up the extra income on the weekends.