Need ideas for clear cut land.

[Bud Soda]

Looking for a little advice on some land I had logged. I had 30 acres clear cut and am planning to replant most of it but would like to leave 2 acres for a food plot.

What would be the best, or most cost effective way to remove the Debris from the 2 acres? What is left are a lot of limbs, small saplings, and of course all the stumps. Some of the stumps are as big around as a 55 gal drum. I think it would cost too much to have them all dug up. Maybe have it run over with a dozer? The stumps are sticking up about two to four inches so I could probably leave them for a few years to rot. I have a heavy duty pull type offset disk and a ford 5000 to pull it with. I disc over the stumps until they rot. also I could cut all the saplings up with a chainsaw (would be days of work) and let them rot. I don't plan on ever using a grain drill or planter in this two acres, just broadcast spread and disc planting, so roots in the ground are ok. Also have a small Montana tractor with a 25 gal sprayer. I could keep the plot sprayed with round up to keep saplings, ect. from coming back until I could plant a crop on it.

Just wondering would it be better to hire someone with a dozer, and/or excavator or try to do it myself?

Anyone have more or better ideas?

Thanks in advance!
Bud

 

[civesnedfield]

Here are a couple of ideas.

1)Pull the stumps -- have the stumps and debris ground up. You will need someone with a tub grinder to do this.

2) Rent or have someone come in with a stump grinder and take the stmps 5" to 6" below the top of the soil.

 

[GreatWhitehunter]

Take a look in the construction forum here on TBN. Search mulching I'm looking into this option for myself for a large lot I'm planning to buy.

Matt T.

 

[woodlandfarms]

They do a lot of logging up here. Lots of it.

Method we can and do use is that you use a bulldozer with a root rake. You rake all the debris into big piles.

You then have a large backhoe come out and pull the larger stumps (in our area you can only get those with a trackhoe.

You ammass probably5 large piles for 40 acres. Get yourself a permit, call the firedepartment and have an amazing weenie roast.

It is all about money up here so I think this is probably the cheapest method that is legal... 2 or 3 days with the groomer, not sure on the track hoe...

Also, if your land is fairly acessible you may want to reverse the process.. Use the trackhoe first then the dozer to fill in the holes and push brush. Out here, the brush is so high you can't see the stumps.....

 

[Gittyup]

Hire someone with a mulching head machine, like a gyrotrac. Will shred it all right in place. The mulching machines can get the stumps down to ground level, but you still might need a stump grinder. If you dig up the stumps, the mulching machines can also chew them up - better alternative to burning.

There are companies that specialize in this type of work. Talk to several and get quotes from them before you make a decision.

 

[schmism]

If you dig up the stumps, the mulching machines can also chew them up - better alternative to burning.

i suppose that depends on weather or not you want your land covered in rough mulch chips or a small pile of ash to deal with.

If going to tillable ground, i would go root rake on a buldozer. only way to effectivly get it ready for ripping and discing. (IMHO)

 

[cbturf]

I sent you a PM. I am always looking for more trees to grind up! The attached brochure is my machine, I also have a stump grinder attachment for it. A 140hp stump grinder is impressive!

 

[arrow]

Bud

I'd forget about the stumps. They are not an issue in my mind for a food plot. You can certainly cut them close to ground level and till over with your tiller. Chuck your seed down and you'll be surprised at the growth you'll get. The loose brush and slash can be run over and crushed. Anything that is remaining and considered obtrusive, you can pull away and placed in small piles thru-out. Deer seem to like them thinking they are cover.

 

[woodlandfarms]

I sent you a PM. I am always looking for more trees to grind up! The attached brochure is my machine, I also have a stump grinder attachment for it. A 140hp stump grinder is impressive!

Hmmmm so jealous.....

 

[ampsucker]

probably can't totally forget about the stumps due to grow back. you'll have to spray most likely.

here's an idea. use your tractor to rake up piles of brush over the larger stumps. lots of little piles. then burn them one at a time or start them all at once and you'll get a good chunk of the stump to burn and may keep grow back from being so hard to manage.

otherwise, mulch is beneficial. or let nature take it's course - eventually they will rot if you keep spraying them and you can grow your cover crop in between them.

amp

 

[N80]

Pine stumps won't grow back. But if you ever plan to plow or disk I would get the stumps removed, not just ground. I did this myself on about 2 acres with a basic FEL. It was a pain and took a long time and in general not worth the trouble. I would think a substantial dozer with a heavy root rake shoudl handle the stumps and the debris without a problem. They do around here anyway. Then get the stuff mulched if you want to. I'd think 2 acres would take about a half a day. I have no idea what rates are now but 4-5 years ago a local guy would charge $600 a day in half day increments of $300. In other words if he shows up its going to be $300 even if it is just an hours work. I thought that was very fair, but that was then, I suspect prices are much higher now.

But even if its $1000 I'd say that would be worth it and probably far better than trying to do it with a CUT.

 

[mred]

It has been years since my Forestry degree but it seems that if you are clear cutting and then planting all you are missing is the burning part. I have no idea if this is sound practice in your area for the species you have but it would solve everything except the stump problem. Great for producing good growing conditions and even a good seed bed. Anyone with more knowledge or more recient knowledge care to comment.

 

[N80]

I think that would be fine if he was replanting trees but he wants a 2 acre food plot. That will require a stump free area if he plans to run any ground engaging implements through it. Or at least stumps ground down below the level his implements will go.

 

[arrow]

Sorry Bud

I may have misinterpeted your wording of "food plot" Being a lifelong hunter, a deer food plot came immediately to mind. I've made so many of these over the years I've lost count but never had anything more than a chainsaw and a tractor with a disc tiller. This is in deep New Enland woods. You may be talking about a garden plot for human consumption. If that is the case then I have to agree with N80's way of thinking. Hire a good size dozer of at least 20 tons. He'll be done in no time and it will be done right.

 

[cbturf]

All of these ideas do work but mulching is by far the best way to prep land for a food plot (or any other purpose for that matter). When you push with a dozer or dig with an excavator you disturb your topsoil and subject youself to erosion. When you push and pile you are stuck with a pile that you have to get rid of. If you burn and it gets to hot you sterilize the soil degrading the nutrients available for your plants and damage or kill the overstory trees that are left behind.

When you hire me I come in grind everything up leaving a perfect mulch bed and you can already be planting while I am loading up on the trailer

 

[GaryCrowell]

Unfortunately you don't have any easy way to get a good two acre food plot out of cutover ground. You've got to get the stumps out of there whether it be by an excavator or mulcher like cbturf has, both are expensive. Forget trying to disc over the stumps in the hope that they'll rot, you'll just tear up your disc and tractor and you'll be an old man before they ever rot. For that type of job around here we hire an excavator and a dozer with a root rake. Pull the stumps first then the dozer with the root rake rakes the ground, push the stumps and debris into a windrow off to the side, they'll rot in 30 years or so. I haven't hired a mulcher but I've seen them in use more and more in recent years, I suspect they'd do what you want also. Clearing cutovers takes big equipment, you're not going to do it with a chainsaw, tractor and disc.

 

[Bud Soda]

Thanks for the replies.
Looks like mulching is probably the best way to go. Loggers have not cut all the timber yet because it got wet last week and they couldn't get the log trucks in and out. They told me that after they finish cutting the timber they would run over anything left standing with the skidder so I want have to go in with a chain saw and cut any slapling.

I am leaving the 2 ac open for a deer food plot, so I will probably broadcast plant some oaks, wheat, and rye this fall and see how that does.

 

[woodlandfarms]

With the loggers not finished, have you inquired about them cleaning up? The major loggers in our area have mulchers and are happy to pick up the extra income on the weekends.