Clearing 154 acres of woods in west Tennessee

[buckeyefarmer]

In Md., you would be 100% wrong. Ponds are to contain water, you’re supposed to pipe it out to watering troughs, etc for use. The natural resources conservation is coming out Tuesday to check our pond fences and take pictures of it.
The USDA guidelines under water quality suggest fencing out livestock, Md is saying you will do it. Hence the suggestion to check before you start.

https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/sites/default/files/2022-09/Pond_378_NHCP_CPS_2022.pdf

Another example of government overreach if true.
Last I saw they suggest it in MD, but haven’t seen that it is required. I believe they only check if you took money from govt to pay for the fencing. They have programs to help pay for it.

 

[LittleBittyBigJohn]

I would recommend talking to someone who would potentially buy the lumber first. Barring that, I would say a 20 ton + excavator with a thumb (mechanical is fine) would be a good starting place. It's much easier to get the stump out if you do it with the tree attached. You can push the tree over with the Ex and stack it with the thumb to either use later or burn. Always PUSH and always AWAY never pull toward the machine. You may have to dig around the close side to cut a few roots on the larger ones. Huge trees may be a problem this way, but most should be fine.

I would think a good operator could potentially get an acre cleared per day and burn a little less than 60 gal of diesel doing it that way. That's a spitball guess but I wouldn't think it would be faster than that unless there were not many trees.

Then you would probably want to run over all that with a dozer to smooth it.

If you cut the trees first, I've seen a track loader do a good job pulling stumps. Not a compact but a big dozer style metal tracked one, not sure how large would be needed but I assume something 10 ton + I don't even know if 10 ton would do it.

 

[tradosaurus]

Forest fire?

Seriously, could you sell your trees and have it cleared that way?

 

[Gale Hawkins]

Find a contractor with the proper equipment.

Outsourcing is the fastest/cheaper option.

 

[paulsharvey]

Outsourcing is the fastest/cheaper option.

I would rephrase that to, get some quotes from quality contractors. If this is 1 acre per 8 hr day kind of woods; that's going to be around $400k +. I Might look at an older JD 200 hoe, for around $120-150k, and do that. Just know going into it, you probably want to budget $50k for repairs, maintenance, ect. I dont think I would look at the $30-50k machines, they are probably worn slap out.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

I would rephrase that to, get some quotes from quality contractors. If this is 1 acre per 8 hr day kind of woods; that's going to be around $400k +. I Might look at an older JD 200 hoe, for around $120-150k, and do that. Just know going into it, you probably want to budget $50k for repairs, maintenance, ect. I dont think I would look at the $30-50k machines, they are probably worn slap out.View attachment 807939View attachment 807941

In hindsight, the fastest is never the cheapest usually.

Around here operators typically work by the hour instead of a big job. So if you got started you can find out what the cost would be and everything pick you a spot that you wanted to go with first perhaps.

 

[LittleBittyBigJohn]

Yeah, if you have the machine you can probably find someone good for $25/hr pretty easily.

 

[LittleBittyBigJohn]

You can also rent the machine for around 6-7K per month.

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

I'd consult a forester. I see a lot of hardwood, white oak maybe, around west Tennessee going for staves, pallets and, maybe, ties. When we cut timber in north Mississippi, hardwood pulp was higher than pine pulp. I think it's highly location dependent.

Yes, but we have paper Mills in the south and osb plants, mdf plants even. I'm just across the river.

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

When we clear, we use a big ole junky trackhoe and two skid steers. We have a D 7 but don't use it. Knock trees down, saw stumps off. Then we have a big square hole dug. Throw them stumps in the hole and light er up. Keep the inferno going. Firewood all that hardwood from the trees. Get the limbs with the skid steer grapple. If you're worried about food, firewood should be a concern also.

 

[paulsharvey]

Looks like roughly $6k per month for a JD 160 class machine at sunbelt, and honestly, that's not bad at all, when you compare Much smaller machines rental fees.

 

[big bubba]

OP: some great advice here on your project...looking ahead, in your 5 yr plan, how do you envision this project ahead once cleared? would be interested to hear on your crops, market, transport, & equipment needs for this ambitious project.

Also, see you're new to the forum, welcome, & wise to post your intentions here, best regards

 

[Egon]

Caterpillar tractors ( D8 and up ) have cleared many sections ( 640 acres ) of land in the Northern Agricultural Regions of Canada. Basically, a tilt U blade with root rake for the clearing and large Disks or ploughs for final work. This may be followed by picking up short root pieces. Many times a rake was used to windrow the small stuff.

The excavators and backhoe type equipment may work for very small areas but for the lager land areas they take far to long and still require ancillary equipment.

Note: I’m not familiar with munchers.

 

[lman]

What I think (wait, are you asking my opinion? lol) is that we have plenty of cleared farmland already in this country, and what we need, is more forest and natural habitat, not less. There are thousands of acres of fallow farmland just around my own county here in Michigan. I'm sure there are in TN also.
Not to mention that 87% of our farmland is used for poor-rotation monocrops just to feed livestock. No, I'm not anything close to a vegetarian, but our food system is certainly pretty F%^&d up.

I stated clearly in my first reply that it was not my place to judge the ethical implications of carrying out this sort of idea, but as many others have astutely pointed out, it will also probably be terribly expensive and difficult, and perhaps not even result in achieving the stated goals.

Actually farmland is disappearing rapidly thanks to the growing solar farms around here. Almost 20,000 acres of corn fields went to solar farms here in the last year. Farmers are getting paid $1,000/month to lease their land for solar panels.
Maybe the op is going to plant solar panels.

 

[deezler]

Actually farmland is disappearing rapidly thanks to the growing solar farms around here. Almost 20,000 acres of corn fields went to solar farms here in the last year. Farmers are getting paid $1,000/month to lease their land for solar panels.
Maybe the op is going to plant solar panels.

Fair point!

 

[Fuddyduddy1952]

I think knowing the purpose, maybe even a satellite (Google maps) view would help. Living there? House, barn, etc.? Land use?
Maybe fence 150 acre pasture first then decide? Here they have cows on part, then grow hay, round bale on largest portion and feed.
It there a creek? Well?

 

[Jchonline]

Actually farmland is disappearing rapidly thanks to the growing solar farms around here. Almost 20,000 acres of corn fields went to solar farms here in the last year. Farmers are getting paid $1,000/month to lease their land for solar panels.
Maybe the op is going to plant solar panels.

Cant wait to see the waste they generate when trashed in 20 years. Sure hope we will have an efficient way to recycle by then. However I am betting it will be the same sham we witnessed with plastic.

 

[mikester]

Outsourcing is the fastest/cheaper option.

The cheaper option would be to sell the property and buy already cleared farm land

 

[paulsharvey]

The cheaper option would be to sell the property and buy already cleared farm land

I believe the OP already covered that, and this was far, far, cheaper than currently in production row crop land.

I would guess, or hope, our OP, is currently working on a site plan, a financial plan, speaking with his ag extension, and talking to contractors, or rental guys.

 

[eddieirvine]

Leave it the way it is forget the future profit on farm ground, To ,many people i see destroying wooded land. Keep in mind these trees are what keeps us alive !!!