Ideas to dispose of land clearing waste

[future_vision]

I agree on the BioMass Energy plants - there are several in New England. When we had 4 acres cleared they chipped everything except the logs and sold the rest to Shiller Station in Newington NH for 30$ ton - took 6 tractor trailer loads of chips. Shiller stopped taking wood waste in 2024, but depending your location there are plants in ME MA and CT that still burn wood waste.

It's a matter of getting it chipped. I would rent a large chipper - 12-14" and feed it with an excavator - probably get a lot chipped in a few days. For the rest of the dirt/roots/rocks burning is best - just get a few piles going and keep feeding it for a few days.

Then dig a hole and bury the remaining bits that dont burn. It's a lot of work clearing ground - what are you doing with the stumps? That was my biggest cost - $1750 a tractor trailer load 4 loads.

Stumps, the large ones, were all stacked into a wall. Gives us a little privacy from the neighbors. At some point I want to cover them with dirt and speed up the decay process. But maybe, one day, we'll just have them hauled off instead.

 

[future_vision]

Are the cops going to come if you start a fire with pieces over 5”? If you piled up a pile as big as a truck, let it burn down some and repeated the process you would be done in a couple days. It’s going to take much longer to chip that with anything less than a belt feed behemoth chipper.

We've had the fire department visit us before. Granted it was early on in the land clearing and we think a neighbor called cause they saw smoke in the woods. I recall them showing up one other time too. The fines are pretty hefty so I prefer not to risk it.....much.

 

[Hay Dude]

It's the cost of disposal that can add up.

I only paid $8 bucks per yard.
Also realize your recycler may be more.

Fuel cost me more than disposal fees.

Hertz and other companies rent non-CDL dump trucks with automatics.

 

[airbiscuit]

About 40% of that you could make available as cut your own (crappy) firewood if you are okay with people on your land. Or stack it up by the side of the road with a free sign

 

[Sprinkler Fitter]

About 40% of that you could make available as cut your own (crappy) firewood if you are okay with people on your land. Or stack it up by the side of the road with a free sign

Wood boiler guys would love that for free.

When we built in 2016 I know a few guys with wood boilers, they cut and limbed every tree I need cut and took the wood. It was in the GC contract to haul the stumps off of my property also, I think they had 6 huge dump truck loads of stumps.

 

[hslogger]

Yeah. I am looking at renting this for a day. 12" chipper

View attachment 4375422

Get a helper for the day

 

[EddieWalker]

The tree trimming guys either cut, split and sell the wood for firewood, or they haul it to a company that makes compost out of it. I don't know the details, but I sure hate it when I get behind one of their trailers on the road!!!!

I've been clearing my land since I bought it in 2003. I've learned to make my burn piles long, slim and low. When the ground is wet after it rained the day before, I'll start the fire at one end and let it work its way to the end. Some of my burn piles are over 100 feet long. Pine seems to be the hardest to get going, so I cut those logs into shorter lengths. I use my grapple to carry them, and 12 to 15 feet wide is just about perfect.

Stumps take forever to burn, so they get burned multiple times over the years. I just leave them there after the pile is burned and I start building up the pile again.

Once a year I try to clean up all the ash and dirt that ends up in the burn pile. I fill ditches and low areas with it. Then cover those areas with a foot of clean dirt and then plant grass.

It's a never-ending process, especially with all the cardboard boxes that end up in the burn pile from deliveries. I've just resolved myself to always having a burn pile in the middle of my pasture.

 

[paulsharvey]

So, didnt read down too far; but is there permanent structure, road, drive, septic, well, utilities going in the area cleared? If not I would do a combination burn and bury. Yes, you might be some settlement over time burying, and I Would Not do it in a finished yard, or near a structure, but a field settling 6" over 5 years, yeah, id bury. Sure, burn a time or two if weather allows, but id bury the ash, coals, stuff mixed with dirt

 

[shooterdon]

Following!

 

[Fuddyduddy1952]

I have lots of brush, logs etc. like that. I have a pasture that the downhill edge drops off to the woods, so from (guessing) 15° to 50° slope. Along that edge is where I piled it in a long row.
My idea is shelter for rabbits, birds, etc.
Also mowing along that ridge there's no chance of sliding downhill.