Clearing woods to make pasture for animals- can it be done?
- Thread starter rd200
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Im in Wisconsin. We do plant winter wheat and winter rye around here and if it doesnt freeze out, they both do good! Especially winter rye, gets really nice come spring/early summer!baymule said:
How do i add my location.... ive always meant to do that....
You can add your location by going into your profile.
My suggestion is to go online to google earth and get current satellite imagery of your prospective property. Print off several copies. Then sit down with a highlighter and mark up several different plans for how to develop the property. I would keep all the trees around the perimeter of the property for privacy. I would clear away trees within 30 feet of the house for fire safety. From there decide how much you want to take on.
You can cut down trees then hire a guy that is good with a bulldozer to get out the stumps and pile them for burning. But just make sure you don't make any of those burn piles under a utility line---I bet you are wondering how I know about that interesting detail.
Having the chicken coop surrounded by a bunch of trees helps preditors of all types. So putting it under a lovely shade tree will provide perching accommodations for owls, eagles etc as well as drop in service for opossums, raccoons and other hungry critters.
The property sounds great but be sure to plan, plan, plan. Be sure you carefully word your initial offer with language where by the seller will provide well and septic inspection and make all recommended repairs. You have to have good water for everything you do. Try to find out as much as you can about prospective neighbors as you will have to put up with them. Then have great fun!!
My suggestion is to go online to google earth and get current satellite imagery of your prospective property. Print off several copies. Then sit down with a highlighter and mark up several different plans for how to develop the property. I would keep all the trees around the perimeter of the property for privacy. I would clear away trees within 30 feet of the house for fire safety. From there decide how much you want to take on.
You can cut down trees then hire a guy that is good with a bulldozer to get out the stumps and pile them for burning. But just make sure you don't make any of those burn piles under a utility line---I bet you are wondering how I know about that interesting detail.
Having the chicken coop surrounded by a bunch of trees helps preditors of all types. So putting it under a lovely shade tree will provide perching accommodations for owls, eagles etc as well as drop in service for opossums, raccoons and other hungry critters.
The property sounds great but be sure to plan, plan, plan. Be sure you carefully word your initial offer with language where by the seller will provide well and septic inspection and make all recommended repairs. You have to have good water for everything you do. Try to find out as much as you can about prospective neighbors as you will have to put up with them. Then have great fun!!
Dawn419
Almost Self-Reliant
One word of caution here before you get too excited about the possibility of making money off of the logged timber...make sure that there are no stipulations in your contract against selling the timber off of the place.rd200 said:
That is the only stipulation we have on our place with the abstract company that we are buying our 17 acres from, but it is not a problem for us as I have no interest in logging the place and we use it as an excuse to not have certain people in the family come begging to cut firewood as they would sell it before they used it for themselves (been there + done that = lesson learned
).Also, if you get the property and do decide to log some of it for profit, make sure you find a company with an outstanding reputation. My aunt and uncle had several acres logged when they first moved to the area (30+ years ago) and were royally screwed.
Dang, that was two cautions, not one!
Beekissed
Mountain Sage
Another word of caution....before the dollar signs weigh in, talk to others who have had timbering done on their land. Research the company and how they have treated other people and their land.
We had our land timbered and regretted it ever since. They ruined the road to our house, they had to be forced to fix it and put in more culverts to replace the ones they broke with heavy equipment. They cut trees that were not agreed upon and tore up much of the land. Soil erosion was bad and the plant life that used to exist on the forest floor now does not exist....no more columbine, no more trilliums, no more jack in the pulpet or Solomon's Seal. Just rank weeds and a dry holler where there once was beauty, moisture and fresh water flowing.
It was not worth the money and it will take the forest many years to recover...if it ever does. And that was selective timbering, not clear cutting.
We had our land timbered and regretted it ever since. They ruined the road to our house, they had to be forced to fix it and put in more culverts to replace the ones they broke with heavy equipment. They cut trees that were not agreed upon and tore up much of the land. Soil erosion was bad and the plant life that used to exist on the forest floor now does not exist....no more columbine, no more trilliums, no more jack in the pulpet or Solomon's Seal. Just rank weeds and a dry holler where there once was beauty, moisture and fresh water flowing.
It was not worth the money and it will take the forest many years to recover...if it ever does. And that was selective timbering, not clear cutting.
luvinlife offthegrid
Lovin' The Homestead
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Is it possible for you to thin the trees? What kind of wood is standing? How old is the growth? Are the trees straight? Can you possibly call someone with a portable sawmill to cut it into boards to use for your barn-building projects? 
I live in the woods. It is a hodgepodge of pine, poplar, birch, oak, and maple. There is a LOT of underbrush. We recently cleared out a lot of underbrush and left the taller trees standing. Sometimes clearing that out lets enough light through. After a few years, the grass is growing and there are some other wildflowers. Check the path of the sun on the property, and thin accordingly. You can minimize labor by thinning or even doing a big clearing on the south side, and thinning the rest.
As long as you have a covered run for the chickens, it is not a bad idea to have them under deciduous trees. Mine is under a stand of oaks. The leaves drop in the winter to allow light in, and it is shaded in the summer. We allow free range when we're home. We've had some losses, but not as much as I thought.
I live in the woods. It is a hodgepodge of pine, poplar, birch, oak, and maple. There is a LOT of underbrush. We recently cleared out a lot of underbrush and left the taller trees standing. Sometimes clearing that out lets enough light through. After a few years, the grass is growing and there are some other wildflowers. Check the path of the sun on the property, and thin accordingly. You can minimize labor by thinning or even doing a big clearing on the south side, and thinning the rest.
As long as you have a covered run for the chickens, it is not a bad idea to have them under deciduous trees. Mine is under a stand of oaks. The leaves drop in the winter to allow light in, and it is shaded in the summer. We allow free range when we're home. We've had some losses, but not as much as I thought.
congrats!! i say go for it...sounds absolutely lovely, will work itself out...
but I know what it is like...it was my hubby that jumped at this place
( a comparable amniounce lots of trees peaceful,wonderful)
but I was antsey, about making the decision, so understand...
we had a tree fall this winter that took out 4 others going down,
big mess,but opened up a spot with lots of light for fruit trees.. we utilized the wood, wood bench, slices as a stepping path,
stumps as visuals, as my yard is more tranquell and lovely than full function...
i hate to part with sticks...rather find the worth and many right now are going for a fence...rather be natural arty and low cost
what did go through the chipper is now for the chickens run and path mulch..
i'm all for slowely carving out your own individual stamp on the property,...good luck
but I know what it is like...it was my hubby that jumped at this place
( a comparable amniounce lots of trees peaceful,wonderful)
but I was antsey, about making the decision, so understand...
we had a tree fall this winter that took out 4 others going down,
big mess,but opened up a spot with lots of light for fruit trees.. we utilized the wood, wood bench, slices as a stepping path,
stumps as visuals, as my yard is more tranquell and lovely than full function...
i hate to part with sticks...rather find the worth and many right now are going for a fence...rather be natural arty and low cost
what did go through the chipper is now for the chickens run and path mulch..
i'm all for slowely carving out your own individual stamp on the property,...good luck
pinkfox
Super Self-Sufficient
heres an idea...why not do the pigs and chickens FIRST...
The chickens (being decende form a jungle bird) will apreciate the shade in the summer, and the leaf litter they get to dig through for bugs...and the pigs...well USE them! Pigs are natures plows...Take a driill drill some huge holes around the base of the tress as close to the dirt as possible and shove corn cobs down itno them...the pigs will root root root...use electric fence to kep them in a relitivly small area around a couple of trees you want removing, an given a normal pig growing season theyll have that tree rooted up usually
pigs dont eat grass they actually eat Dirt (theyll graze grass if its ther but they can get alot more nutiritn form the dirt itself and the roots down in it...so why not se that to your advantge?
you might even look at putting a couple of brush/meat goats on the property to clear out the brush and undergrowth for you...
once youve got easier acess and the undergrown cleared out and some slective trees down you may find its plenty.
im a HUGE fan of letting "nature" do the work for you lol.
if logging selectivly you might also want to see if theres anyone local who logs with horses or mules, ALOT easier on the ground and much more environmetally freindly...takes alittle longer, but i think if i do end up having people come in to clear out some of the pines ill probably look for someone who uses horses...big machinery would make an absolute mess trying to get around my property...
The chickens (being decende form a jungle bird) will apreciate the shade in the summer, and the leaf litter they get to dig through for bugs...and the pigs...well USE them! Pigs are natures plows...Take a driill drill some huge holes around the base of the tress as close to the dirt as possible and shove corn cobs down itno them...the pigs will root root root...use electric fence to kep them in a relitivly small area around a couple of trees you want removing, an given a normal pig growing season theyll have that tree rooted up usually
pigs dont eat grass they actually eat Dirt (theyll graze grass if its ther but they can get alot more nutiritn form the dirt itself and the roots down in it...so why not se that to your advantge?
you might even look at putting a couple of brush/meat goats on the property to clear out the brush and undergrowth for you...
once youve got easier acess and the undergrown cleared out and some slective trees down you may find its plenty.
im a HUGE fan of letting "nature" do the work for you lol.
if logging selectivly you might also want to see if theres anyone local who logs with horses or mules, ALOT easier on the ground and much more environmetally freindly...takes alittle longer, but i think if i do end up having people come in to clear out some of the pines ill probably look for someone who uses horses...big machinery would make an absolute mess trying to get around my property...
hqueen13
<Insert Snazzy Title Here
Our barn manager bought a place and cleared several acres that were all heavily wooded. She and her partner joke that it is the $200,000.00 pasture because of the expense it took to get it cleared, seeded and then fenced. I would highly recommend doing a LOT of research before you get started. Having grazing animals among trees is good if you can manage it appropriately. Too much foot traffic/grazing will kill trees, and if there isn't enough grass, grazing animals will often turn to nibbling on trees, which will ultimately kill them as well. Fences in tree filled areas take a lot more maintenance too and risk getting broken/damaged pretty easily.
When planting pasture for horses it is often recommended that the horses stay off of the grass for a year or more to allow the grass to really get established good in the soil, I imagine it is probably similar with cattle or anything else that really grazes.
Your county extension office is there to serve you, use them, they are great resources.
Best of luck! It'll be a lot of work, and probably more work than you imagine (that was the story with our barn manager! LOL). Only you can decide if it will be worth all the effort!
When planting pasture for horses it is often recommended that the horses stay off of the grass for a year or more to allow the grass to really get established good in the soil, I imagine it is probably similar with cattle or anything else that really grazes.
Your county extension office is there to serve you, use them, they are great resources.
Best of luck! It'll be a lot of work, and probably more work than you imagine (that was the story with our barn manager! LOL). Only you can decide if it will be worth all the effort!
baymule
Sustainability Master
It cosst as much to clean up the mess as what we got for the timber. Loggers strip off the best timber, leave the tops and stumps and leave the scraggly skinny trees standing. Be prepared. Your land will look like a bomb was dropped on it. It really made us sick. Even though we wanted pasture, it was like watching our trees murdered by looters. If you can cut your own a few at a time, load the trunks on a trailer and take them to the mill your self, then at least you will pocket the money rather than recieve a pittance for your trees and get screwed cleaning up the mess. Don't think you are going to make a bunch of money on just a few acres, most loggers won't even set up their equipment for such a little amount.
Our horses will strip bark off the trees in the spring/fall when the sap is moving. They are like giant beavers. I even chewed some bark myself to see why they love it so much. I was not impressed. I sure wouldn't trade a fast food chain hamburger made from downer cows for tree bark. BLEECH!! We had cows on our land when it was thicket to the point that we could stick our arms our and not be able to see our hands for all the underbrush. The cows tromped and ate it down.
Our horses will strip bark off the trees in the spring/fall when the sap is moving. They are like giant beavers. I even chewed some bark myself to see why they love it so much. I was not impressed. I sure wouldn't trade a fast food chain hamburger made from downer cows for tree bark. BLEECH!! We had cows on our land when it was thicket to the point that we could stick our arms our and not be able to see our hands for all the underbrush. The cows tromped and ate it down.
