Fletch NY

I am looking to put in a food plot out back this spring. Maybe a half acre or so.A little of the area in field and brush the reast wooded. Actually the field part I tilled a small patch years back with a hand tiller for some clover man that sucked!! Just the brush roots made that a nightmare.Anyhows, am I going to have any luck doing this without heavy equipment? I have a bunch, 20 or 30 anyway, of trees to bring down. That is no problem. But stumps and roots are not conductive to plowing or tilling. I sure as poop am not hand digging them!!

Any ideas? Would I just be better off hiring someone with a dozer or bucket? And what would that cost?

Thanks for the help in advance.

gregrn43

It can be done without a dozer, I have two plots that I cleared with a chainsaw. Itis alot of work, but it can be done. I use a chisel plow when I work them up to plant. The chisel does a better job than the disc on these two plots. Its been 3 years since I cleared them and this past fall several of the root wads pulled up out the ground by the chisel. I cut the trees as close to the ground as possible then piled them up and had a big bon fire. Dozer work around here is 80 bucks an hour.

Jayme roper

if I was you I would not get a dozer. Becose that would be a crap load of money. Most guys around here are chargeing around 80 bucks and hour and most have a 4 hour min. If I was you I would just cut the trees down and then cut it up for fire would and sale it! that way it my help with the seed bill.

timbercruiser

Flag off the area you want to clear and hire a dozer. The investment will be worth it. If the trees aren't big a half day with a good size dozer and experienced operatorshould do it.

North Texan

A dozer with a rake would be worth the money. Tree roots are hard on farm implements and they can be hard to impossible to plow through.

Remnard

How big are the trees? If they are saw timber size you will need a big dozer and or an excavator or backhoe.

Cut the timber, use it for firewood or sell it for lumber if large enough and sell it.

How many acres do you have total? Maybe it would make more sense to do a select cut along with the clear cut. Give us more info.

Hoytteen

Don't wanna do it by hand? Heck. thats how i spent my last summer. Took a bit but it was worth it in the end. knowin that your food plot was done by you and your hands. no heavy equipment. Sure hated the blisters tho!![:@]

Fletch NY

I only have 12 acres so not really gonna make anything having it logged not a lot of log size lumber of choice species. Where I want to plot though has at least a dozen big trees say 15 to 25 inches across.

I am thinking the only way is either backhoe or cut the trees and plant around as best as I can till they rot.

timbercruiser

In my plots, if possible, I leave several scattered trees in the plot and plant around them. As long as they are spaced apart there will be sufficient sun light for the plants. Downside is that the trees sap up a lot of water. For 20 inch trees you will be better off to get an excavator.

Bugflipper

Personally I'm just to lazy. I would hire it done. In my area there is always a guy needing money that has heavy equipment. No harm in calling them all and seeing who is the cheapest. This method has always netted me good results on work done. Seems that a man that needs the money more to provide for his family does an outstanding job. He is depending on you recommending him to others to help him out.

On leaving the trees. The roots usually are about as wide as the branches, they call it the drip line. I put a plot 5' or so past the widest branches. That way they aren't competing as much. And only beneficial trees are left.

An old trick with the trees is to saw or chop a circle around them an inch or two deep. The circle must connect. The water travels just under the bark. If there is no route for the water the tree dies. Stumps can live for a long time before rotting when a tree is felled. Kill the tree first then chop it down if you are going to do it yourself. That way the roots will rot quicker. If you did it this time of year you would have to wait 6 months or so to make sure they are dead.since it is dormant and everything is in the roots. If you wait until they leaf out then do it there is more of a strain on them, they will be dead in a week or so, just wait a full month before you fell them.