trail clearing technique and tools

[ultrarunner]

Poison Oak is my arch nemesis...

It is so prolific and being so susceptible my go to is spot spray emerging new growth and loppers for the vines choking the oaks.

Also with ban on gas trimmers fewer options exist.

The city is pushing goats but not year round... only to come though and move on.

Spent most of the day on the 350c dozer grooming trails...

The side cuts often need cleanup but back dragging does a lot too.

 

[ArlyA]

Sure glad everyone is keeping this to trail clearing. Seems like most threads wonder off subject,,, lots. We are still skiing ehre but maybe in a few weeks, we'll be thinking more about actually doing it.

 

[kenmbz]

I have been actively clearing new trails since the snow got thinner. Trying to get in before the new growth makes it too painful. My trails are tiny compared to your ArlyA, but they are new and keep me busy.
Some are just maintenance trails to get a path to Dead Ash. A few to make up a short mountain bike/walking trail on my property.
Having only 6 acres, trying to get a full mile trail without overlap is not easy, and making sure I don't clear out too much as I want the wildlife to stay.
Right now with the last 4+ inches or rain, that work is on hold. But there is always something to do outside.

 

[ArlyA]

You guys might get a kick out these these dated photos. Sure I might be a promoter of pole-saws, but this was a rather large for ours. We only have so much space to being junk along so when we found this guy across the trail, the pole-saw went to work on it. Everything we bring along must fit into the bosses box.

No problem!

 

[kenmbz]

That must have taken a while. I gave up using the pols saw on > 6" sticks, but I don't have to travel more than 600' to get tools.

 

[deezler]

Spent most of the day on the 350c dozer grooming trails...

The side cuts often need cleanup but back dragging does a lot too.

Can you share a couple pics? Curious what type of topography and foliage you are working with. The idea of dozing trails for fun on your private property anywhere near the bay area sounds like a total fantasy in my head. Do you have to be grandfathered in, so to speak?

 

[ultrarunner]

After the 1991 Firestorm where 3000+ homes burned due to a transient campfire the city insisted large property owners put in fire trails conforming to state specifications…

Dad tried to hire it out but either no interest or the cost would have covered a tractor and then some so I bought the D3

It was difficult… having people calling police at times and city intervention…

I kept the letter from the fire inspector with me at all times and it came in handy.

Ultimately it was determined Fire trumps all.

Now all I do is do an annual cleanup of existing but still get folks taking phone videos…

 

[deezler]

Thats what I'm saying, in my head it just seems like greenpeace would assemble a troop of volunteers to chain themselves to your dozer.

So are you on a sliver of acreage tucked orphaned between developments, or what? I know the bay area does have a lot of communities bisected by natural mountain ridges and canyons, but I presumed all of that was public land.

 

[ArlyA]

Up here, we are still a ways away from tick season but many of you people might already be there. We spray all our trail work clothing with Sawyer brand Premium Permethrin Insect Repellent for clothing that we get for about $17 a bottle. This stuff does work and bugs get ill and fall off before they get to our skin. We treat and couple sets of shirts and pants, then wash them less often. The manufacturer claims it doesn't launder off but we don't believe it. I should add, we've used this stuff for years and since we started, not had a tick attached to us.

 

[Bill Guenthner]

Two words: electric chainsaw.
No gasoline so it can be carried in the “trunk” of my UTV. Got tired of finding the path blocked and having to go back to the barn. I can cut up a pretty large tree on one charge and I carry a spare battery, but I’ve never needed it.

 

[ArlyA]

Two words: electric chainsaw.
No gasoline so it can be carried in the “trunk” of my UTV. Got tired of finding the path blocked and having to go back to the barn. I can cut up a pretty large tree on one charge and I carry a spare battery, but I’ve never needed it.

Bill, what specifically are you addressing? I tried a friends battery saw and did not like it. Some trail clearing days we've done took more than a gallon of fuel. That's many, many battery charges and we do not have a power source to do that. I was hoping to keep this thread about trail clearing and there tools in general. Not battery verse gas arguments. Battery powered tools do have there place and I own many.

 

[ultrarunner]

Thats what I'm saying, in my head it just seems like greenpeace would assemble a troop of volunteers to chain themselves to your dozer.

So are you on a sliver of acreage tucked orphaned between developments, or what? I know the bay area does have a lot of communities bisected by natural mountain ridges and canyons, but I presumed all of that was public land.

Pretty much… it’s a sliver now surrounded by many owners…. private, government and muni districts…

My bother is more unique… his 65 county acres is an Island so to speak with new multimillion dollar homes on one side, city boundary on another and 60,000 acre open space…

AG regulations require diseased trees be confined to property and in compliance the burn piles made, etc with multiple agencies notified…

Did not matter the response was overwhelming including air support with dozens and dozens of calls for what sould have been nothing was a big deal but totally compliant…

Hunting is also legal on his property but 2.5 million dollar homes on 1/3 acre lots don’t think so…

I put in trails around the perimeter and called them firebreaks…

The 3-point chipper, pole saws and dozer really open things up.

About the only agency enthusiastic is Fire Suppression…

 

[ArlyA]

We hoped to camp and clear a NFS trail south of us over the weekend like we've done in the past but the forecast now shows rain Saturday night and Sunday. So we will head down there on Saturday morning and get a day of clearing in. The campground host there is quite disabled and asked us to put a "reserved" sign up for her, so no-one is camped on her site when she arrives. Yes there is still snow there, but not enough to bother. Here is a picture we took there a month ago.

 

[ning]

Poison Oak is my arch nemesis...

It is so prolific and being so susceptible my go to is spot spray emerging new growth and loppers for the vines choking the oaks.

Also with ban on gas trimmers fewer options exist.

The city is pushing goats but not year round... only to come though and move on.

Spent most of the day on the 350c dozer grooming trails...

The side cuts often need cleanup but back dragging does a lot too.

We have a ton of it here.

I pull it out by hand in the springtime; if you're careful you can pull a huge length of roots that have multiple "plants" growing up from it and it won't come back... for a while.

I've found that grabbing a handful of dry dirt and pretending to wash my hands (while wearing the gloves) seems to keep me from getting a rash from the gloves. Washing up potentially exposed areas (like forearms) soon after exposure with a heavy dish detergent (like dawn) in cool water reduces chance of breaking out.

If I've been chest-deep in it all day I'll preemptively take benadryl overnight and zirtec for a couple days to keep any histamine response down.

Strangely enough over the last 25 years of heavy exposure to the stuff I've become less and less sensitive to it and unless I know it's whipped across my face or other major touch I don't pay extra attention to cleanup beyond just getting clean.

 

[ultrarunner]

That's amazing...

There are removal companies and they charge a fortune... most I have come across are from Tonga.

A simple walk through the neighborhood and plenty sprouting... I wonder if the homeowner realizes as it winds it's way into hedges?

I do think the allergy meds helpful...

 

[ArlyA]

We have a ton of it here.

I pull it out by hand in the springtime; if you're careful you can pull a huge length of roots that have multiple "plants" growing up from it and it won't come back... for a while.

I've found that grabbing a handful of dry dirt and pretending to wash my hands (while wearing the gloves) seems to keep me from getting a rash from the gloves. Washing up potentially exposed areas (like forearms) soon after exposure with a heavy dish detergent (like dawn) in cool water reduces chance of breaking out.

If I've been chest-deep in it all day I'll preemptively take benadryl overnight and zirtec for a couple days to keep any histamine response down.

Strangely enough over the last 25 years of heavy exposure to the stuff I've become less and less sensitive to it and unless I know it's whipped across my face or other major touch I don't pay extra attention to cleanup beyond just getting clean.

Can you guys use tree pullers on it?? We have two of these but I can't find pics of them now. They clamp on the stem and its handle is about 4-5ft tall so you cantilever them straight up and out.

 

[ArlyA]

Spent the day clearing a trail today. We did not get it done but maybe 2/3rds of it and its 3 miles around.

This type of dead-fall we'll find out there during most trips out.

We found a tad more snow out there than we had expected.

The first serious dead-fall found across the trail and it was already cut into when this picture was taken.

A bit later.

More but this was so punky that no cutting was necessary.

What we commonly see. A dead-fall pushes live ones onto the trail

No problem. Ill post more photos later.

 

[ultrarunner]

I often think the public has no idea what goes into creating and maintaining a year round trail in the countryside...

Enjoy the pictures...

 

[ArlyA]

More pictures taken yesterday.

We might have taken a dozen dead-falls off the trail today. Of course not all are seen here.

The snow was deep enough to impend our work some.

This is a trunk that broke off about 30ft up. Missed this kiosk by 4ft. It was green and quite heavy maple.

There is a sub 4ft section being cut from the tree. This is to hinder atv use.

I think you guys get the idea what we do. Any questions or comments for us today?

 

[kenmbz]

You have a lot of patience to drive that tiny bar through the big stuff, but understand the limit on what you can carry.
Watching you do the big trails gives me incentive for my tiny trails to get out there and keep them maintained.
Going through a massive spring growth spurt and deep mud slows me down a bit, seems that nothing slows you two down.
Thanks for sharing!