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Tractor Talk Discussion Forum

OT - Question on reclaiming hedgerows

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CB in central N

05-29-2007 06:53:14




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Greetings.

I have embarked on what will probably be a multi-year project of reclaiming my hedgerows. I am going along with a chainsaw taking what I can for firewood. Once the bigger stuff is gone, I plan to brushhog the smaller growth. The problem is the stuff in between, trees that are too big for the brushhog and too small for firewood, treetops, etc.

I don"t want to bulldoze because of cost involved and also because I"ll still have the debris to dispose of. That leaves me with either burning the brush (once it dries) or renting a chipper. Burning is not ideal since I don"t want to start a brush fire. I don"t want to drag it out in the middle of the field and burn it since that"ll ruin my crop and pasture on that spot. Renting a chipper is probably the safest way, but there is the cost of the rental and fuel.

I am looking for suggestions, ideas, etc., to see what other folks have done. Thanks in advance for any advice.

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Finn Md

05-30-2007 10:52:20




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 Re: OT - Question on reclaiming hedgerows in reply to CB in central NY, 05-29-2007 06:53:14  
I've had the same problems as you. Your best choice depends on the size of hedgerow areas you want to remove. On one of my fields I cleared and cut dozens of invasive trees from Asia called Ailanthus (Tree of Heaven) that look like Sumac and grow like weeds and spread everywhere along fencelines, drainage areas and roadways here in Maryland. Other local invasive trees are the wild cherry trees, which are toxic to animals. You can rent a chipper easily and I've used them for stuff up to about 5". It's noisy and not easy work, but makes quick work of all those nasty branches. You can also buy or rent a nice heavy duty weed cutter made by Stihl that has a saw blade at the end, that looks like a circular saw blade. I've got one and it is real useful in thorny bushes such as multiflora rose near big trees, much better than using a chain saw. Bush hogging is best for thorny bush where no big trees are present. You should consider leaving some hedgerows as they are good refuge for birds, and possibly erosion control if in a drainage swale. If you have large areas hire a ripper, but you'll still have to deal with all the branches, roots, soil trash and it is costly to dump all that in a landfill if you don't burn.

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buickanddeere

05-29-2007 20:39:57




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 Re: OT - Question on reclaiming hedgerows in reply to CB in central NY, 05-29-2007 06:53:14  
If you like wild critters, fence rows are important habitat. Around here people are starting to plant hedge rows across fields to trap winter snow to provide springtime soil moisture.



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Leland

05-29-2007 19:21:34




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 Re: OT - Question on reclaiming hedgerows in reply to CB in central NY, 05-29-2007 06:53:14  
you need a root rake on the dozer not a ripper



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Michael Soldan

05-29-2007 15:58:49




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 Re: OT - Question on reclaiming hedgerows in reply to CB in central NY, 05-29-2007 06:53:14  
The dozer with a ripper is the only thing you can afford to do, they can do a lot of hedgerows in an 8 hour day. I agree with Allan, if you don't get the roots and do it right you will be doing it every three or four years for the rest of your life. A large pile will rake out and burn eventually and you will have it completely cleaned up. Take the money for running your saw, renting a chipper and the hours of backbreaking work and pay the dozer man. Once he is done that hedgerow becomes a productive part of the field and yields crop...you can't afford to not do it that way.

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John (MO)

05-29-2007 11:48:04




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 Re: OT - Question on reclaiming hedgerows in reply to CB in central NY, 05-29-2007 06:53:14  
Make post and sell them. Chip and sell the chips. Hire a dozer with a ripper to really do the clean up.



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Billy NY

05-29-2007 07:24:46




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 Re: OT - Question on reclaiming hedgerows in reply to CB in central NY, 05-29-2007 06:53:14  
Hedgerows, those little strips of land sure are everywhere, most around here were old fence lines, some property lines, stone walls etc.
It's amazing how many old locust posts and wire is still up after so many years, what were once clean fence lines you see in old photos, become strips of forest and hollows where 2 of them were close together.

Dozer with a ripper makes short work of clearing them and shearing off the roots, can find a place, pile, burn, ashes will wash away and you can work the soil in that area, re-plant, it will come back. You also might be surprised what you find in the hedgerows, old junk, glass bottles, broken off metal fence posts, property markers/monuments, seems to always be something in them, stones can be harvested, sold or used, tree roots and other things will get caught in a plow. Power company took out a few hundred yards of one along our field that ran at a sharp angle, almost parallel to their easement, I tried pulling a 2 bottom through it, had to move over a little, the roots and things were too hard to deal with, and I sure am glad I walked it, carefully looking for tire poppers, couple of sheared off metal fence posts in there. The stumps have finally decayed enough, I'll probably be able to get full width of that area but with 115,000 volts over head, my dozer will never be in there, that is for sure.

Where I live was a field, hedgerows still exist, cherry trees have matured, totally block out the other houses, so 1/2 the year, can only see my neighbor across the street and it provides a wind break too, also have seen pictures, this entire hill was completely clear cut at one time, just about everything was around here way back then, one large field.

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Allan In NE

05-29-2007 06:58:18




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 Re: OT - Question on reclaiming hedgerows in reply to CB in central NY, 05-29-2007 06:53:14  
If you don't use a bulldozer with a ripper, you're going to be fighting those roots for the next 20 years.

Just my opinion,

Allan



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