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Before (two hazelnut bushes in center of frame)
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After. Two hazelnuts, slightly biased to right side of frame. I cut. Mrs ERJ dragged. I know that I am bragging, but Mrs ERJ is pretty spry for a lass who is over 35-years-old.
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Before. North of the hazelnut bushes
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| Miracles are possible when one has an assistant who is both beautiful and willing. |
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Carnage from the previous cutting session.
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More carnage from the previous session
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The last session I was able to cut 18 paces in 2.5 hours (give or take). I dragged the brush into the orchard.
Today, the lovely Mrs ERJ and I knocked out over 32 paces of windbreak in 2 hours.
Today we ran into species I had not encountered the last time I cut. Blackberries (good looking fruit, I left them), Gooseberries (no fruit visible but I left them), Bittersweet, Nettles (avoided), Multiflora Rose, more Ash and Mulberry trees and a seedling Chestnut tree (which I left)
The most arduous part of the cutting was that the tops were knit-together with grapevines (and Virginia Creeper and Bittersweet and a little bit of Poison Ivy). Ripping the stems out after cutting them at the base was physically demanding.
I kept an eye on Mrs ERJ to make sure she didn't over-heat. I gave her permission to skip going to the gym today.
I am a life long forager. The Autumn olive berries are very good to eat. The seeds are edible like grape seeds and the berries have more lycopine than tomatoes. Do NOT confuse them with Amur honeysuckle, as they tend to grow near each other around here.
ReplyDeleteWhen you finish up around there I've got a few places could use your attention. I'll let you keep the blackberries.
ReplyDeleteLet me consult with Mrs ERJ and see what her availability is.
DeleteFor a job as big as that -- have you considered renting (or employing) a brush hog unit ?
DeleteI have a "secondary location" about 150 miles north of you, and to keep it "clear", a rear mounted tractor mounted brush hog is used.
I used to have a front mounted unit on a skid steer,
but that was sold a few years ago.
Yes I have.
DeleteTHREE of my nephews have skid-steers and at least one of them has a hydraulic-motor brush hog.
I want to get the floor of the orchard to where I can keep it mowed. It is a long haul to get there.
Dragging the brush was necessary to "clear the site of the surgery". Running a chainsaw when there is a lot of other crap the bar can catch-on is never a good plan.
The brush-hog is a great idea. Mr B also suggested it and he is a very smart guy. It is just taking a bit of time before I think it will be an efficient use of my nephew(s) time to come out and get it done.
more on my earlier comment--
DeleteA skid steer mounted brush hog is a "wicked device"-- it will chop up anything you put it thru, into pieces no bigger than a couple feet long-- and if that's not fine enough -- just run it over the chopped-up stuff again with the brush hog
Then you can use a tractor mounted rear rake, or the front bucket to move the stuff into a pile ( for burning if Eaton county permits that), or loading into a trailer (with the bucket ) for disposal
once you've done the area this way-- the next time(s) can usually be done with smaller equipment
(that's how I cleaned out my area in northern Mich -- now all it takes to maintain it is a 5' light duty tractor mounted unit
Prep work makes sense before you bring in the hogs.
ReplyDeleteAlways have a helper on clearing brush and chainsaw work. Going from two people to just one doesn't double your time, it quadruples it.
ReplyDeleteAlan E.