I have 500 acres in SW Ga that we have on going projects and goals to get it like we want it. I have a 40 acre piece that's been clear cut and we're currently stumping it and fixing in up. We have a couple excavators and dozers. I've been running my own equipment for the past 10'or more years and all has b en self taught so while I can get things done I'm not sure I'm always going about it the right or best way. I pretty much dive in and don't really always have an organized plan. For talking purposes let say you were clearing (stumping/raking) a 10 acre parcel. Where would you start? Side,end,middle etc. and would you row debris up or make bigger lesser piles. Just curious. I can get it done just looking for opinions on the best way to go about it. Thanks in advance.
My son & I recently cleared about 24 acres of land that consisted of various tree rows, some up to 50+ feet tall, some random saplings in the more open areas & some dense brush. We had someone come in with a brush hog & mow everything that could be mowed beforehand. What we did was push everything down & into local piles to save pushing great distances, then move the individual piles with our dump truck (tail gate off) to 4 common piles on one side of the parcel. It took us about 10 days to complete the job & seemed to work pretty well. We had also made up a root rake for the dozer which made the job much easier.
We don't have a dump truck yet!! Good info. What are the model machines u have. Did u build the rake? I built one for my D31 but I just ordered one for my new to me D41P-6. We have a 320CL and an SK250 LC
shake the dirt out of the stumps with your exacator by dropping them a few times, stack and burn at same time. it all will burn. if you have ditches to fill, burn the piles there. take out the furthest trees from the pile area first, clean the roots as you go and you will always have a clean area behind you, otherwise you will scatter stuff everywhere. clearing is more fun for me than about anything, every tree is a project.
Excavator is a 318B with a hyd thumb, Dozer is an old D6C in good shape & we did build the root rake. The rake does not look so pretty now!! We have a lot of topsoil to strip on site & I thought what we would do is cover the brush piles with a thin layer of topsoil & wait for it to rot down for a few years & it should be good usable soil. That way we will be able to gain access to the top of the piles with an excavator & dump trucks to load. Any predictions of how long it will take to rot down by anyone?
You did a great job on the rake. I could have built another one but I got lazy. Got a new one like I wanted (closer spacing on teeth) for 3400.00. I could have built it for less but hey it'll work
Tenfo on shaking the dirt. I've been doing that. That's a good idea though about shoving it in a ditch. I'm working on some sloped areas that have erosion ditches that have formed over the years and it would be a good place to burn
No idea with that kind of timber and your climate, but it will rot faster if you add nitrogen, some bags of urea or whatever nitrogen source you have available.
Fairly cold winters, down to 0 f some of the time, hot humid summers 85 f much of the time in the summer, lots of oak, green ash & some elm in the mix.
The white oak heartwood will last decades. Same for any black locust or walnut. Red Oak, ash, elm, maple etc. will be mostly compost in 10-20 years. Maybe sooner for the small stuff, and/or you add some nitrogen. If you don't add nitrogen, at least plant some red or white clover on the pile, that will add a little bit for you. That's still a rough guess, I've never done anything quite like that, but I've seen the results of similar piles.
just burn it, if you cover it up air will not get in there and that stuff will outlast you. to rot wood you need oxygen, and some rain and it will take about 20 years. I have had the best luck burning brush that I have pushed into a large hole (or a ditch that already exists), this seems to keep the heat in. don't wait to burn, the green sap will burn like oil once you get it started, and if you have a track loader (or other rig with an exposed blower fan) push air into the pile till it gets caught. I have burned fresh willow piles with this technique, and nothing is left. usually takes a day to burn a big pile so this is time consuming I know, but if it is your place who cares.