Fishin' Rod
ArboristSite Lurker
We have an 80-year old shelter belt on our farm that is dying of old age and/or shading by the tallest trees. It is 80-100' wide and a full 1/2 mile in length (about 8 acres in total).
I have started clearing small "slots" in the worst sections to get enough canopy open to start planting replacement trees. I clear the small stuff with my brush cutter, and then move up to the chainsaw. That work goes fairly quickly. It then takes me 10x as long to clear all of my downed wood.
What is the “best practice” for the future health of our shelter belt as regards tree debris?
- Can I just push it aside in a minimal way from where it falls, and plant my new trees in the small patches of clutter free ground?
- Will the wood decaying over the next 20 years encourage some pests that would attack my healthy trees?
- If you recommend clearing it out, is a skid steer with a grapple probably my best option?
- If I build a burn pile, how far away must it be to avoid heat damage to my shelter belt trees (if burning on a calm day)?
Location is south-central Kansas. I have started on the areas with snags, blow-downs, and other damaged trees. The tallest living trees are mostly Siberian Elm, with some Honeylocust.
Any advice from the experts would be appreciated.
[This topic did not quite seem to fit in any forum. If I might get more responses in a different forum, please let me know.]
Thanks,
Rod
I have started clearing small "slots" in the worst sections to get enough canopy open to start planting replacement trees. I clear the small stuff with my brush cutter, and then move up to the chainsaw. That work goes fairly quickly. It then takes me 10x as long to clear all of my downed wood.
What is the “best practice” for the future health of our shelter belt as regards tree debris?
- Can I just push it aside in a minimal way from where it falls, and plant my new trees in the small patches of clutter free ground?
- Will the wood decaying over the next 20 years encourage some pests that would attack my healthy trees?
- If you recommend clearing it out, is a skid steer with a grapple probably my best option?
- If I build a burn pile, how far away must it be to avoid heat damage to my shelter belt trees (if burning on a calm day)?
Location is south-central Kansas. I have started on the areas with snags, blow-downs, and other damaged trees. The tallest living trees are mostly Siberian Elm, with some Honeylocust.
Any advice from the experts would be appreciated.
[This topic did not quite seem to fit in any forum. If I might get more responses in a different forum, please let me know.]
Thanks,
Rod