orchard clearing

[nybirdman]

Started clearing an old apple orchard that had'nt been touched in 100 years.
I had tried to hire a contractor with a skid-steer with a fecon head;no luck they jerked me around for two years.This would have been the way to do it because it does away with the brush piles.The orchard was over-taken by alder,honey-sukle and buck-thorn.Some of this brush was ten feet high and very thick.I rented and 80 horse skid-steer with a bucket to do the intial clearing and cleaned up with the tractor.This is about a four acre area and is an on-going project.I had installed a markham tooth-bar and a greens-machine thumb to aide in this project,both are performing well.

 

[NY_Mr Project]

Good Luck.

That is a big Project. Too bad the Trees can not be saved.

 

[Airic]

Nothing like cooking with apple wood. I don't see any of the 100 year old apple trees.

 

[Treemonkey1000]

Apple tree chips make awesome smoked salmon and ham.

 

[Flatheadyoungin]

yeah, here we go again.....someone else rubbin' the rhino in my face showing me how "useful" they are!

i have aerial views of my property from the 1930's or so and you can clearly see a grid pattern of orchard trees on my property.....about 15 acres....

unfortunately there are only two pear trees left, that i can find, and the top are broken out and the huge ivy/grape vines have all but choked them out......i cut sections of the vines with the chainsaw.....i hope they'll recover but even then they probably won't make it but a few more years.....

the one did still produce some pears last year......albeit from the half dead top that fell over and is partially still connected.....at least they have a snowball's chance now


thanks for sharing.....

 

[Thomas]

Bet the deer and birds gonner be tad tick off w/your improvement...good way to get feel of how equipment performs.

 

[nybirdman]

I am trying to SAVE all the apple trees:hard to see with the pictures I posted but I will post later as the project progresses.We are removing only the brush and unwanted small trees.Our farm was owned by J.E. Tallman about 1850,we believe he developed the Tallman(Tolman)Sweet apple on this farm.
We hope to save all these heritage apple trees.The apple trees are in rough shape from many years of neglect,after we get the brush removed we can trim and shape.I will plant buck-wheat around the trees when we are done;that should take care of the brush roots.

 

[nybirdman]

If you look at the picture of the tractor:to the left and back are some of the apple trees,we have found about 30 so far.It was that thick......you couldn't see the trees for the brush.We are doing this primarily for the wild life,we are bird and deer hunters.This land is our uplands preserve.

 

[Flatheadyoungin]

maybe just a suggestion but being that the trees have history and sentimental value, i'd only prune about 1/3 of them the first year, just in case they don't take to well to it and die.......if the first 1/3 goes ok, then i'd do the other 2/3 the next year or two......

this way, if you kill some, you have some more to experiment on before you lose them all

i really wish mine had some left......

be sure to keep us posted!