OT: Quick way to clear woods

Since I’ve already revealed myself here as something of an eco-terrorist I figured I might as well go ahead and post another of my environmental depredations. Background: In early 2013 I bought a house and five acres that adjoins my existing 12 acres. About 3 1/2 acres of the new five acres is heavily wooded with 100-foot pines and assorted hardwood. The trees are all tied together with a canopy of a variety of vines: muscadine, wild grape, sawbrier, rattan, honeysuckle and poison ivy. The vines also cover lots of fallen pine logs and big limbs--about a 40-year accumulation. The previous owner seemed to not care that most of his property was an impenetrable jungle, but me, I don't see the point of having acreage if you can't access, use and enjoy it.

So, a few weeks ago I began chopping trails with a machete---paths that I then turned into fire lanes using my zero turn mower. Last Thursday was the big day: I torched it. The global warming people would not be pleased---a three-acre fire sends lots of carbon into the air. I tended it until after midnight. Since then most of the wood on the ground has been smoldering; it’s interesting to see a 50-foot log simply melt away, leaving a gray trail of ash where it lay.
The next step is to go through and saw and pile all the remaining stuff that’s on the ground. Then I’ll come through with my old TRACTOR (JD 1020) and my old Sidewinder brush chomper and take down everything the Sidewinder can chew. Yep, all us old relics can still get ‘er done!

When you said "OT: Quick way to clear woods", I immediately thought of a spool of Primacord & a Detonator, and level the whole thing, LOL .

Since you mentioned that you have Poison Ivy in there, be real careful NOT to breathe the smoke. If you think that contact dermatitis on your skin is bad, it's a thousand times worse if you inhale any of that Poison Ivy smoke and get the dermatitis inside your lungs. BTDT - very painful and can put you in the hospital. PLEASE BE CAREFUL !

Doc

I have been battling vines for years, mainly in fence rows though. Mine was poison ivy at first, then bittersweet and multiflora rose. I think that I have the upper hand on it now, and have moved on to other people's property. One of my field owners has it very bad around the house. I posted about it a few days ago. one vine was five inches in diam.

Put a fence around it and put some goats in there they'll clear it out and keep it clear.Chainsaw and goats combination is a great way to clear land.

My uncle told me he used to clear some small areas with pigs. He'd build a fence around the area and the hogs would eat about everything and the pigs would eventually kill the trees by rubbing the bark off of them.

Actually, burning wood puts no more carbon into the air than what the trees absorbed in the form of CO2 while they were growing. It is a "carbon neutral" process.

Looks a lot like some of the areas on our farm.

Over the last 15 years, we start with a chain saw and clear a small trail.

Some of the limbs and trees are cut for fire wood.

The remainder of the brush, limbs, and trees go on a burn pile.

We use the Ford 2810 and Corsicana rotary cutter on almost everything else.

Eventually we get the area in good condition and mow with a Bush Hog finishing mower.

Here's a video that shows <a href="http://youtu.be/6oG9SOaizR0?list=UU4gFuJx6qHbiK0FRREh2lDw">several of those areas</a> that were "reclaimed" for our enjoyment.

So, what would you do if the fire had got out of control?

Probably would have called fire department!!

not really eco-terrorism. in my part of the country burning under-story and deadfall or overgrown grassland with prescribed burns is a recommended practice. we seem to be in a state of prolonged drought so timing is important. a wildfire fed by high winds and heavy undergrowth near Bastrop TX destroyed a couple thousand homes. what you did makes sense.

Just about all the woodlands around me would be better if that was done to them. It would not hurt the good timber but would clean it up so the remaing good stuff could have a chance of making something. All hardwoods here.

Dr. , I was thinking the primer cord thing also, or a big excavator. We burn here too. joe

NOOOOO.. They are for getting kittens out of trees, don't you watch TV? Well back when TV was worth watching!

Very nice, James. As you're only about 70 miles away, your woods do look like mine. Think I have you beat on pine, though.

I take it you are no where near a city where someone would have called in a forest fire out of control?

It always amuses me how in some parts of the country common sense practices are considered out of the question. Around here controlled burns are part of proven good forest management. When debris is allowed to build up without burning it becomes an even worse hazard.

Gotta say as a guy with an environmental degree you didn't hurt a thing. Now if you started it with diesel or old motor oil you might have a few nay sayers but heck you have to clear it some how and thats one of the easiest ways.