Thought I would post a few pics of clearing my property. It was thick with pines, oaks, and sweetgums. I had it clear cut by a logger. My deal with him was to cut everything. He was supposed to leave it in manageable piles but left massive piles of cut down trees he didn't want and logs and limbs strewn all over. He also paid $1500 less than he quoted. (Never deal with a logger on a handshake) My hoe is a New Holland 575E that weighs in at 14,240 lbs. It has a 4 cyl turbo charged engine that puts out 90 HP and 268 lb ft of torque at 1400 RPMs. Mine is the standard 4 speed power shuttle transmission. It is the short boom version without an extended arm. I bought it cheap off eBay and it required a lot of fixing. It does have a cab and I repaired pretty much everything but the brakes so I have AC and heat when I need it. Mostly AC weather down here. I have a weld on thumb that is very helpful for picking up stumps and moving pushed down trees. I have never felt that is was under size or under powered for the task at hand. I also have a John Deere 4310. It weighs in around 3000 lbs with a loader and puts out 31 HP. It has the eHydro transmission that is very handy for loader work. I have it fitted with a MTL RK5 grapple. It has been a very handy compact utility tractor. Spends a lot of time pulling a 6 ft finish mower in the summer when it's not grappling, raking, and grading. I have had to dig each and every stump out and clean up all the mess left behind. Most of the stumps were medium size but some were real buggers. The worst were large sweetgums. Those can have 12" diameter roots that go every which way for a while. Some of the pine stumps were the same diameter as the trunk for 6-8 feet down. It also required a fair amount of chainsaw work cutting up the downed trees that were left laying I finish up by raking and tilling with the JD then I drag it again to smooth things out. Of course it all has to be piled and burned. Too much of the debris ends up having to be picked up by hand but the landscape rake gets most of it. The first photo is of the dogwood in my front yard with the uncut trees behind it. This is the same tree after having the land behind it clear cut. Here are some visitors eating at the base of the tree. The tree is in it's final days and I have had to limb it up a lot as the lower branches die out. This is another view of the same field. I have replanted some pines leaving enough room to keep it all mowed.
That dogwood is beautiful! That looks like a lot of grass seed!
The dogwood has been spectacular when it blooms. Unfortunately it is dying a slow death. Here are a couple of spring and fall photos pre timber cut. I have been very fortunate. I can totally till and grade and the grass comes up natural. I might have 4 different varieties along with some weeds but it looks green from a distance.
Dogwood trees are under story trees. They like a bit of shade. You might help the dogwood a bit by mulching it's dripline. Start thinly, and leave the root flare clear of the mulch. Mounding mulch against the tree invites fungus and bugs to attack the tree.