My Cleanup Project/Firewood Supply

[howard270]

This ia about a 15 acre patch of ground that my great-grandpa planted in Hedge in the 19-teens to grow his own fence posts. He planted the trees evenly spaced in each direction. Now there are black locusts growing in between the rows and there is a lot of damage from ice storms of years past. My wife and I started cutting and clearing this 3 years ago and have gotten about an acre cleaned up.
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Here is what it looks like before I start cutting on it.

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Not exactly a before and after of the exact same spot, but gives you an idea of what I am starting with and hoping to achieve. I want to be able to drive a 4 wheeler through here to check for cattle.

 

[howard270]

In the second pic you can see a black locust leaning hard to the right. I was able to cut this down and pull it over yesterday evening.

In the third picture to the right side is another black locust leaning away from where I was. I was also able to cut this off and pull it down yesterday evening. It was pretty punky on the inside.

In the first pic you can see one of my firewood stacks to the top left in the picture, and my dad has his hedge fence posts stacked on the top right side of the picture. I may start cutting those posts cause if I don't I may have to build a fence with them.:hmm3grin2orange:

 

[Hedgerow]

Sweet!!! Red dirt, green grass, and woody mayhem!!! I'm surprised the Black Locusts were able to keep from getting choked out!!!
Lotta BTU's in there...

 

[Iska3]

That's some nasty looking stuff. Looks like you got a good jump on it..

 

[lfnh]

Looking good Howard. Nice shaded grazing area for the mama's.
Building fence - always last, LoL. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Arbonaut]

If morel mushrooms pop up in Oklahoma, I'd be looking in those saw chips and burned wood in about three weeks! Thanks, Howard.

 

[howard270]

Thanks for the feed back guys. This is about the only shelter we have for the cows to get in when a winter storm comes, and you have to get them out on foot so it is a hassle. I used to ride 4 wheelers and horses through here 15 years ago to round up cattle but not anymore.

Woodcutter, it is too dry for mushrooms to grow here. We do get the hallucination ones growing in cowpies after a good rain.

 

[Hedgerow]

Thanks for the feed back guys. This is about the only shelter we have for the cows to get in when a winter storm comes, and you have to get them out on foot so it is a hassle. I used to ride 4 wheelers and horses through here 15 years ago to round up cattle but not anymore.

Woodcutter, it is too dry for mushrooms to grow here. We do get the hallucination ones growing in cowpies after a good rain.

Don't feel bad... I don't get anything but puff balls around here...:msp_mad:

 

[Steve NW WI]

Man that looks like a ton of work, but also a lot of tons of heat! Be careful in that tangled stuff. I've had branches come flying at me from 50' away when pulling on stuff like that with the tractor.

I don't have hedge this far north, but I'm guessing that it resprouts from the stump after cutting?

 

[darkbyrd]

15 ac of hedge and locust? That's what I call a woodlot!

 

[Big L]

Looks like a real nice area Howard, and nice work so far. At this rate, you and your wife will have that 15 acres all cleaned up, what .. some time in 2054?? Just joshin' ya man Wish we had Hedge growing around here .. all we have is an abundance of Oak It must be nice to know the history of about when, and by who the trees were planted, that acreage has been in the family a long time! I have a 10+ acre parcel here in CT that I was told was clear cut back in the late 1800's and early 1900's to support the steam shovels working a feldspar quarry. Now it's a beautiful stand of mostly red, white, and black Oak .. easy pickings for firewood!

Thanks for sharing.

 

[purdyite]

First pic looks like part of Dad's place...I am hoping to thin that out some day, after we get done with a long fence project that is choked with hackberry and elm. I've been making swedish candles out of the elm I've cut. That looks like a great project, lots of brush pile fires on a cold morning with the coffee in one hand...I like those mornings in Oklahoma.

 

[howard270]

Here is from start to yesterday progress. Pics are taken from the same spot (a burned down stump) facing North each time with my Iphone 4S.

First picture taken when I started on this area.

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Second picture, taken in mid February or so.

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Third picture, taken Sunday March 18, 2012.

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[H 2 H]

NICE :msp_smile:


That's a ton of work

 

[Hedgerow]

You're gonna have a nice supply of that beautiful quick fire stuff by the time you're done with that project...!!! The wife will be happy about it if she's anything like mine...

 

[howard270]

You're gonna have a nice supply of that beautiful quick fire stuff by the time you're done with that project...!!! The wife will be happy about it if she's anything like mine...

Hedge,

I haven't lit a fire in a week. I started to last Thursday, but let the kindling burn out as I started to sweat while holding the baby. I have the central propane furnace set on 73 and it kicks on about 3 times per day. My wife made the comment yesterday that she thinks she is getting sick because the house is colder and when the furnace kicks on it is not a good heat and causes her throat to hurt.

We got a good (and MUCH needed) rain this morning so temps are around 55 degrees and supposed to drop into low 40's tonight, so I will light up the insert when I get home. I have right at .2 cord of pecan left over from this winter and about a dozen pieces of long-standing dead elm that I cut last spring to get the house good and warm.

My goal is to have a cord of Hedge and a cord of Black Locust cut, split, and stacked at the house before we start getting the combines ready for wheat harvest in a month or so. I also want to have my pipe rack (8 foot long, 4 foot high) at the house filled with the pecan and elm that I already have cut, split and stacked elsewhere on the farm. Then I can fill my aluminum sled rack with whatever downed wood I need to clean-up and burn it in the fire-pit outside.


So far this year I have burned 1.3 cord of hedge and black locust mix (80% hedge, 20% black locust) and 1.2 cord of that long-standing-dead elm I cut last winter/spring. For a total of 2.5 cord burned this year.

 

[Hedgerow]

Hedge,

I haven't lit a fire in a week. I started to last Thursday, but let the kindling burn out as I started to sweat while holding the baby. I have the central propane furnace set on 73 and it kicks on about 3 times per day. My wife made the comment yesterday that she thinks she is getting sick because the house is colder and when the furnace kicks on it is not a good heat and causes her throat to hurt.

We got a good (and MUCH needed) rain this morning so temps are around 55 degrees and supposed to drop into low 40's tonight, so I will light up the insert when I get home. I have right at .2 cord of pecan left over from this winter and about a dozen pieces of long-standing dead elm that I cut last spring to get the house good and warm.

My goal is to have a cord of Hedge and a cord of Black Locust cut, split, and stacked at the house before we start getting the combines ready for wheat harvest in a month or so. I also want to have my pipe rack (8 foot long, 4 foot high) at the house filled with the pecan and elm that I already have cut, split and stacked elsewhere on the farm. Then I can fill my aluminum sled rack with whatever downed wood I need to clean-up and burn it in the fire-pit outside.


So far this year I have burned 1.3 cord of hedge and black locust mix (80% hedge, 20% black locust) and 1.2 cord of that long-standing-dead elm I cut last winter/spring. For a total of 2.5 cord burned this year.

When will you start running wheat? It's just now starting to kick butt and grow here... Very clean so far...
Crossing my fingers for 50 per acre this year...

 

[GrizzyDan]

Looking good! Must be nice to have a woodlot on mostly flat land =) 3 steps in one direction here and you're standing above or below your own height 3 steps ago. Good luck, I hear locust is some good burning wood. Nothing speaks more about a man then how his property looks.

 

[howard270]

When will you start running wheat? It's just now starting to kick butt and grow here... Very clean so far...
Crossing my fingers for 50 per acre this year...

Hedge,

We usually start cutting around May 25th. Prolly earlier this year, we found some wheat already heading out yesterday. That will put us around May 15 for this year. But I am betting a late freeze is in store unfortunately.

 

[Stihl Rules]

I am starting to think winter and spring is a thing of the past We didn't have either here in KY this year.

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