Clearing 154 acres of woods in west Tennessee

[confederatemule]

My thoughts exactly. I seems mighty heartless to ruin that mych natural habitat to grow crops that ruin the soil not to mention the wildlife that will be killed uselessly because of this. But, what do I know. I only have 20 acres with less than half of it open. I have lived there for 45 years and truly enjoy the wooded area.
God forbid, you are dreaming of a housing project and/or shopping center!
Just my thoughts.
Now to answer your question. A track hoe and dozer will do the drastic deed, though. The right contractor would be the best way to go, I would think.
Please, don't do it !

 

[IllinoisMike]

Buy a good used dozer and excavator. Be cautious and look at many. It’s only cost effective if you do most of it yourself

 

[Been there]

I may raise some hackles here, but - - - -

Given the monetary and time cost involved in clearing 154 acres of established forest, you might want to investigate some alternatives.

I have had very good experience of working with the local Farm Service Agency over more than 20 years. I'm located in dry-land wheat country of SE Washington State and our local FSA and NRCS agents are very helpful and proactive.

20-odd years ago I put some of our marginal cropland into CRP (Conservation Reserve Program) and it has been paying off ever since - with minimal input after the start.

I don't know what kind of programs are available in your area, or for your type of land, but it might be worth investigating. I do know that the USDA has been allocated additional funds recently to combat climate change. There might be a program that would benefit you.

The FSA and NRCS folks here have done very well by me.

Good fortune to you.

 

[wbj2]

I tend to agree with Deezler: From an ecologic standpoint, the woods are potentially valuable, sustaining wildlife, strengthening the soil, and, to a small extent, improving air quality. You might consider talking with the USDA office to see if they support forest management plans in your area. We have 160 acres of forested land here in southwest Missouri and have just instituted a timber stand improvement plan that cost $3100, paid for by USDA. They will also pay for the bulk of the execution of that plan. We will be left with a much healthier forest and even more deer and squirrels (and maybe more bears and cougars ;>). Hunting is good already, but we have every expectation it will get even better. And, you could possibly get some income by leasing the woods during hunting season.

 

[Mudfarmer]

If you are going to use the land for cattle, please research "agro-forestry" before clear-cutting. Your plans would eliminate significant potential management options - cattle and thinned timberland are compatible and profitable. Thin the forest land, keep the best trees for future timber harvest, cut the stumps at ground level, cultivate the land much as you would a food spot for deer. That's much more sustainable than making open pastures, and way cheaper. At the very least, before you proceed get an opinion from a professional forester. Your local extension office is a good place to start.
MF

 

[blksn8k]

I'm going to echo what lots of others have said here. Unless you plan to earn a living by farming that land I don't see the point in clearing every inch of it. The loss of wooded habitat is one of the main contributors to the extinction of many species of wildlife. The better plan IMO would be to manage the forested area for both income and the creatures that live there. There is value in selling the timber but it works best if you do selective cutting. In other words, only cut mature trees, say 18" in diameter and larger, which will open the understory which in turn allows the remaining younger trees and other vegetation to flourish and provide not only income in the future but a much better habitat for the wildlife. If you have nothing against hunting you might also consider leasing the forested acreage to hunters or you, your family and friends could hunt it and enjoy the quality food that can provide.
I own 91 acres and less than five acres are open and most of that is the yard surrounding the house and workshop with another small field where I plant food plots for the wildlife with a pond and small fruit orchard next to that. After I bought the property 11 years ago I had the timber on about 30 acres selectively cut and then two years ago I had the larger hemlocks cut on the entire property due to an infestation of Japanese wooly adelgids. I still have over 50 acres of mature hardwoods that can be selectively cut in the next few years.

 

[Homer75]

Easiest, quickest and probably the cheapest is to bring a dozer in to do the clearing. Afterwards, burn your piles, sometimes it’s possible to burn right after they pile the timber and before the dozer leaves. After you burn, bury the root balls. You will have a little bit of settling on the piles but, if your person knows what they’re doing it’s fine. I just cleared 65 ac for pasture and I was able to get grass seed down right away. If you use a mulcher, you then have to make sure they go deep enough to not bust a disk on the stumps.
Just my .02$$

 

[Denali94]

We have 640 acres in NE Indiana with 41 acres being native woods. My wife's mother bought the property in 1946 so we have a pretty good record of what happened and why. While the 41 acres is not swamp or overtly wet, it was/is too wet to have been cleared and farmed.

When we bought the land 45 years ago, we put the wooded area into a NRCS Forest Stand Improvement Program (EQUIP). That program provides 100% cost share for a new improvement plan every five years and the costs associated with implementing that plan. In our current contract period we receive $1,874 per acre per year for 'rent'. That works out to $76,834 per year. We are also allowed to harvest trees as our plan requires; at least once every ten years. It has been amazing to watch this wooded area thrive. We marked the spot where the first Walnut was cut. After 45 years of maintenance and thinning there are eight beautiful 30" walnuts in its place.

We have another 100 acres in various NRCS and USDA programs which also provide yearly payments. In short we have 141 acres in government programs which pay us quite well and cost us virtually nothing. I would suggest that a trip to the local USDA/NRCS folks might be beneficial.

 

[guest]

Just curious...about what would this cost?

 

[dogvan]

My wife and I just bought right at 300 acres in West Tennessee. Half is cleared with row crops planted and the other half is wooded areas.

I’d like to clear the remaining 150 acres of woods, including stumps and roots to eventually plant on it. What is the best way to go about this? I’ve runs tons of tractors and equipment before but I’ve never cleared woods/timber.

Thank you for taking the time to read and offer advice.

My late brother in law sold pulp wood to paper mills. Depending on the type of trees you have you may be able to sell your 150 acres to a pulp wood harvester.