What to do with all the root balls?

[keving]

I am working on a project that includes clearing about 3 acres of black locust trees from saplings to 18" in diameter. I have pretty much mastered the art of pushing over of these trees and avoiding the uprooted root ball. After they are on the ground, I cut the tree at the base just above the root ball and cut the tops off of the tree.

I have created a brush pile, a wood pile, and now I have a bunch of root balls to deal with and more to come.

I know they don't burn well until they are totally dry and free of dirt. I'm thinking of lining the perimeter of my newly cleared area with all these until they dry out.

I'd appreciate any input on what you have done in a similar situation.

 

[Farwell]

I have seen fences made from root balls. They ain't pretty but they work.
I saw a photo of some resort where the owner removed a bunch of trees, cut the upper portion of the tree off leaving around 15 feet of trunk still fastened to the root ball. He bored some holes in the ground and planted the tree trunks in the holes leaving the root ball sticking up in the air. He lined his drive way and a few walk ways with the upside down trees. Think the photo was in the Birds and Blooms magazine.
Farwell

 

[hudr]

We hired a track hoe and buried them a solid 10' deep. You have to get them pretty deep to keep from having a sinkhole or having them "sprout" out again from being uncovered.

 

[dooleysm]

I put them in the bottom of my pond for the fish to hide in.

 

[1bush2hog]

Maybe check with some local builders and/or craftsmen - those locust stumps can be highly desireable in certain areas.

Otherwise, it may take several burns to get rid of them -

I pile locust stumps on my brush piles and burn, then move the remnants to the next brush pile to finish burning - takes a hot fire for some of these stumps to completely disappear.

I would not bury them, but if you have any deep ditches where erosion is a problem they are good at slowing down the flow

 

[keving]

Thanks for all the info. There is a cabinet maker not too far from me. I'll give him a call. Thanks for all the info!

 

[MODiesel]

Dern...had to look twice at your avatar as I, too, have a L5030HSTC with a RM990, and forks. I thought somebody might have been moonlighting with her when I was away!

As for the topic at hand, though, I ended up with a bunch of root balls when we cut trees and knocked out the stumps for our driveway last year. A number of them were of the size you describe. I just gathered them up and dumped them in various washout ditches I had along two creeks that run through our property. The disperate sizes slow down water, and capture debris, and generally keep the ditches from eroding faster & faster. I even had one neighbor ask if I had "leftovers," as he wanted to do the same thing.

Just another idea...

 

[EddieWalker]

I can't say for sure about your rootballs, but mine will burn in time. I have Oak, Gum, and Pine mostly, but overall, there are about 30 different species of trees on my land and all of them will burn. The root balls just take more effort and last allot longer than the trees. I just leave them in the pile while adding trees and debri to it over time.

When I get tired of looking at the pile and/or I run out of things to burn, I'll bury what's left. The ash and soot build up to make a mess anyway, so a big hole will take care of what's left.

Try burning them.
Eddie