Anyone shredding their brush piles

[CTW]

I've got some mesquite and huisache brush to clear which takes up about 20% of a 60 acre tract. Most people in this area clear brush with a dozer, then push into burn piles. We have been in a pretty bad drought for quite some time now with no real end in sight. These types of brush are extremely drought tolerant and rob existing moisture from range grasses, good trees and with tap roots exceeding 180 feet, I'm afraid the water wells are next.

I'd like to get this brush cleared to minimize my moisture loss but I don't want to add to the dry matter fuel that already exist in the pasture now. This brings me to shredding/chipping or mulching the brush piles. There seems to be a few sites online that use machines to mulch the brush right even with the ground, leaving only chips behind. My problem with this is when you cut, trim or otherwise disturb to above ground plant structure of mesquite and huisache, it sends a message down to the root system that results in several new shoots sprouting up in the cut sections place. Track-hoes usually get up under the root ball and remove most of the invasive brush species. I realize continued chemical maintanence is required to control re-growth in any situation, my primary concern if the fire hazard.

Anyone attempted to shred/chip their brush piles through either rented equipment or contracted crews?

 

[Beltzington]

This year I was also very concerned of the fire risked assumed by burning our brush piles and if we had not gotten some rain I would have rented a chipper instead of burning.

A couple years ago I rented a large gas powered chipper for as I recall $150 for the weekend. The thing was a beast and easily shredded anything up to 3-inches and made it through some 4-inch branches with only slight hesitation.

If you go this route I recommend you chip/shred the brush as you cut it. I did notice a big difference between green wood and old dried branches.

Good Luck!

 

[Tractor Seabee]

Here in the PNW we tend to think green a lot. Even though it is usually wet and burn permits are available most of the year, burning doesn't add to the soil much as most of the carbon (the part that rots into compost) goes up as smoke and CO2. With the wetness here even fir and cedar rot a lot faster when chipped. The little chipper/shredders 15 HP and less are a pain in the *** as they take a lot of effort to keep them fed and you have to maintain the engine and cutters. The tow behind commercial chippers, the tree trimmers use, really do a good job and are self feeders. I rent one now and then to chip the accumulation from ornamental and orchard trimming. First I glean out the larger stuff (1.5"+) for fire wood then feed in the rest in armfuls. It goes zing and is gone. The end product is great for composting and mulching. If I have deseased stuff or low BTU wood (such as willow or poplar), I naturally burn that. Now that I have 21 acres of mostly sustained yield forest I am exploring chippers I can put on my BX25 3 point. It has 18 HP at the PTO. That way I can patrol the access roads and chip direct into the forest. Any ideas? Probably look at a used one.

Ron

 

[QwikDraw]

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/land-clearing/214795-how-clear-mesquite.html

 

[yellowdogsvc]

how big are your trees? I've mowed and mulched huisache and mesquite. I have also sheared and chipped mesquite and huisache, iron wood, acacia and other texas species as a commercial operation.

All of the above will resprout but subsequent mowings with a simple bushhog will eventually kill them off. The roots store energy but will eventually lose the ability to resprout if you mow frequently.

 

[CTW]

The huisache have single trunks and are 10 ft. or better. The mesquite are about equal in height but with multiple trunks/shoots. I've never seen these species of brush weaken through repetitive mowing, only multiply. If the weather pattern was more regular and I wasn't worried about reducing the wildfire fuel in the pasture, I'd just spray with remedy/reclaim and push them over in a couple of years. That would certainly be the best solution for reducing future regrowth and save alot of stress on the top soil. I'd like to restore it back to a smooth coastal bermuda field. Of coarse when the brush is gone I'll still have to deal with the dang hogs tearing up the ground.

 

[yellowdogsvc]

depending on how far you want to take the project, mulching then tilling or root hogging the material into the soil will benefit the soil over time. These trees are certainly pervasive and tough to kill but consistent mowing is a solution.

Dozing is only temporary and will turn over seed pods to sprout later.