land clearing

[kelpiegirl]

I spent part of yesterday walking a portion of my brother's farm. There is a large section that was once young Christmas trees, but is now overgrown. It is a decent, though not HUGE area- maybe 10 acres? I don't know. In any case, the land needs clearing- we need trees taken out (not huge ones, but what they lack in size, they make up for in number). I am looking to use this land to keep a small flock of sheep (there is more land available for over flow). Has anyone here cleared land that would be able to give me some advice? Should I hire someone, or, being that my brother can run it, rent a bull dozer? It is all expensive- that I know. But, the land use would be free- and that is a big draw- plus, there is water/electric. Any suggestions?

Thanks

Julie

[juliepoudrier]

I think it would be easier to hire the work out just for the sake of getting it done more quickly. If you do hire it out, just make sure that expectations are clear; that is, that the person doing the work agrees to do exactly what it is you want. Your idea of cleared and a contractor's may be two very different things unless you've spelled it out in writing.

 

If you needed additional clean up (and you will) after the contractor is done, then perhaps your brother could step in.

 

Be aware that you will probably need permits and you'll have to have a plan in place to prevent erosion. You likely will be checked on by someone from the guv'mint.

 

My neighbors just cleared an area for additional pasture. He checks in on this forum, but is out of town right now, so probably won't see this for a week, but since they just got done with the clearing and planting, he could have some good insight for you.

 

ETA: I forgot to mention that if the trees are big enough to be useable for at least pulpwood, you might be able to get someone to pay you for the trees, or at least exchange initial clearing for the trees. This can save you some cost, but the clearing result might not be as nice. But with the money you'd save on that initial clearing, you could then afford to have someone come in and clear behind the loggers.

 

J.

[Rebecca, Irena Farm]

I don't know about up there, but down here it takes five or six years for cleared off land to be useful as grazing land, even with intensive management, ideal weather, and conditioning. It may take less time for you all because of the cold winters, you don't lose organic matter over the winter.

 

Our back field is about a third reclaimed, and it's probably got another three or four years to go before we could put high quality forage on it. Our landlord put plenty of OM down and we've kept up with the nitrates and lime, but it was also set stocked the whole time before we came two years ago. We also had a drought starting the first year we were here, and we still are low on water, and we have a very short, warm and dry winter.

 

One of the most important things you can do on reclaimed pasture (other than soil conditioning) is managed grazing. Even small pieces like the three acre lots we work with, can benefit. I'm getting ready to divide the ones we've got in two, as soon as the electronet I need is no longer in use elsewhere on the farm. That will correspond to our finishing the last fencing for a while, and will give us four three acre pieces to work with. We'll probably divide those in half and stock them at a rate of about twenty head.

 

That's not reclaimed land, though. Out in the big pasture, if we had the same option, I'd probably cut that in half - one would have to twenty head every day out there. That would be terrific for the land, but we did that last year and I never got anything else done!

[Bill Fosher]

The biggest issue on reclaimed forest land in the Northeast is always pH. Our native soils are acidic, and acid rain has made it worse. I've seen forest soils as acidic as 4.9 -- even strawberries wouldn't grow.

 

Depending on how fast you need to the land to reach your target for productivity and how productive you need it to be, you can adopt a number of different strategies. The biggest worry is going to be how to keep the invasive species from taking over while you get up to speed. Glossy buckthorn, autumn olive and the like just love clearcuts. My advice would be to clear only what you can keep clear, and then when you're ready to expand, clear some more.

[Rebecca, Irena Farm]

My advice would be to clear only what you can keep clear, and then when you're ready to expand, clear some more.

 

That's terrific advice. I love all the open land here but you really have to consider the time, effort, and cost of keeping land clear and maintaining the quality once it's open. No sense in clearing and then letting it all run to scrub or broomstraw because you don't have the time or resources to keep ten acres open, seeded, and conditioned.

[kelpiegirl]

I lucked out today. I stopped by this place that I pass by often. It is set way up on a hill. It is UBELIEVEABLE. It has a panoramic view of the valley around it, and well, it reminded me of Dallas' Southfork. Just plain freakin' amazing- seriously, I was in awe. The girl who answered the door told me she doubted her parents would go for me using the fields, but that there was a place nearby who may- I am still going to check them out, and then she told me about the fields she has near my brother's place. 78 acres of absolutely fertile, fields. I believe there is even a small barn up already. She isn't using the land, so it may benefit us both- oh, and the kicker? She went to school, and graduated with my sister.

 

On to call the other place, because it is much closer- but either way, it looks like things are brightening up!

[Deacon Dog]

I'm Julie's neighbor who cleared apx 7-8 acres of hilly wooded land had been select cut 9-10 years previously. The saga if you're interested.

 

I started last summer. Since it wasn't good logging, I got someone who was supposed take the trees he wanted in exchange for clear cutting and chipping everything else but the stumps; he didn't live up to his end of the bargain, but the only recourse was to sue him which wasn't worth it. The logging was completed in late summer.

 

I then hired a guy with a dozer and a trackhoe to dig up stumps, pile them with the brush, burn what her could, bury the rest and rough grade; he did a great job, and it cost a little less than $900 an acre. The forestry service stopped by when the clearing began and said we had to plant something, so late last summer, I spread soy beans and oats which sprouted but, because of a drought, never did grow enough for erosion control, but with no water erosion wasn't a problem.

 

The most tedious part was picking up rocks, roots and branches which it took four of us about 6 days to do late this winter. The finish grading using two tractors with a scrape blade, box blades and 2 drag harrows linked together took another 3 days. Then I had a local dairy spread 80,000 gallons of liquid manure, and it took another day to harrow this into the ground which is required around here if you're putting manure on bare ground. The manure was free, and the seed was about $65 an acre.

 

One of my clients--I'm an accountant--is a seed dealer, and, on his recommendation, I went with a mix of endophite-free fescue, a grazing variety of bermuda grass called World Leader, white clover and pearl millet. It took another couple of days to spread this, cover it and spread old hay on the worst wash areas which was completed about six weeks ago. The seed came up nicely, but we need some rain for it to keep going. There are some wash areas which will need some attention in the fall. I have high hopes for the bermuda which would give me pretty close to year-round grazing.

 

An overgrown Christmas tree area should be a lot easier to clear, but I'd still hire it out. A pro can grade it for better runoff, should know the local regulations, and can probably do it in a week or two. Assuming your brother can't do it full time, it could take him several months, so you might not save much depending on the cost to rent equipment. Also, I seeded in the spring because of the bermuda, but I'd recommend seeding in the fall if you're planting cool season grasses.