Re: Woodlots

Posted by JD Seller on March 04, 2014 at 05:41:34 from (208.126.196.144):

In Reply to: Woodlots posted by sixtyninegmc on March 03, 2014 at 21:50:32:

Have you ever cleared land???? Clearing forty acres is not an easy job to do even with large equipment.

There also are Federal and local laws on what you can and can not clear in many water sheds. So you need to do some home work on what your costs are going to be and what the legal issues will be.

A fellow a few miles from me cleared some ground about 15 years ago. He thumbed his nose at the local ACSC office. HE knocked himself out any farm payments on ALL of his ground for violating the rules on clearing ground/swamp busting. Even a change of ownership will not put that ground in compliance.

Now on the practical side of things:

1) Clearing land can easily cost $3000-5000 an acre if it has heavy trees in it. So unless you own the equipment yourself your looking at spending some serious money to clear it. Also is is not something that happens over night. You will fight roots and junk in the farm ground for years. I cleared a corner some 20 years ago and I still find wood in the field when we work that ground.

2) I try to keep fence rows clear that are around farm ground the trees will suck the water from crops grown close to them and shade them from the sun too.

3) Get a realistic value on what trees are already there. You may be money ahead to let good trees grow and harvest them later. Trees are a crop too if managed correctly. I have about 75 acres of wooded pasture. It has some very wooded areas and some that are just a tree here and there. I usually sell $5000-10000 of timber every few years out of it. Plus there is firewood if you need it or you can sell it.

4) Like some have stated. You need to really look at what the farm land value of the land your clearing is. If it is bluff rock with six inches of top soil then clearing it will gain you nothing at all. The trees that are there will grow better than any crop you will plant. The opposite is true too. The area may be a wet area that is too wet to farm. So it may need drainage systems installed. You have to worry about swamp busting there.

So think about these things long and hard before you start clearing thing out.

I also would be surprised that a farm of just 125 acres would have 40 acres of ground that would be good farm ground still in trees. Do not let land fever sway you to clearing marginal ground for a high cost and little return.

Also pay attention to YOUR wife not your father. You sleep with one and she owns half of what you do. PO her and you may own only half of that 125 acres.

Replies:

• Re: Woodlots sixtyninegmc 02:50:35 03/08/14 (0)

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