Forestry - Managing the family property

Spending a few hours in the honeysuckle hell hole today.

 

I got the first pass on this 2 acre section done yesterday. First pass of many, unfortunately. It's nearly 100% bush honeysuckle coverage and it's hard to keep track of what I've already done so I just focused on the biggest stuff I could find. Some of them were over 10' tall and were 4"+ at the base. I probably cut 400 stems yesterday. I'm going to try to get whatever is too big to spray done this winter then spray everything else next spring.

The little DeWalt pruning saw was 100% the right tool for this job.

Loggers haven't been scheduled yet. Not sure when that's going to happen. Sooner the better.

I'll probably start in on some more tree killing in the areas the loggers won't be in here in a few week. I have a big stand of small walnuts that needs thinned badly. I hate killing walnut trees, but it's way too crowded in there. Lots of small beech trees need to come out too. It's easy to find them now as they are about the only thing left with leaves still on.

Still lots of work to do, but I'm starting to be able to see the woods again....not just a giant pile of work that needs done.

 

So it'll be a frozen (hopefully) harvest? It wasn't planned but worked out best it possibly could my last sale didn't involve much mud. I think it rained one day while they were in the woods. Otherwise dry and dusty late summer conditions. I'm sure the trucking would have been nearly impossible for sloppy conditions as they were having the skidder pull them up to the yard even on dry dirt. (looooong easement, all uphill)

 

Not sure if it will be frozen or not. The ground is very sandy loam sitting on top of sand/gravel, so it never really gets muddy. Even the bottoms are this way. Everything will be yarded out downhill...should be easy.

 

Sprayed a combo of Roundup + 2,4-D to defoliate a bunch of honeysuckle a few months ago when we were still in a drought. I'm hoping that does the trick (I'll know in the springtime). I'd rather not have to cut it all with a pruning saw, or a high dollar brushcutter. Like you, I have a few acres that needs to be cleared out.

Are you spraying the stumps after cutting them?

 

I'm spraying the stumps with a mix of diesel, triclopyr 4, and some blue dye. A little bit of that stuff goes a long way...basically a nuke for any woody plant. I can carry around a squirt bottle and only have to refill it once a day, at most, and it doesn't freeze in the cold.

I don't like spraying over my head so, even though this is a lot more work, I prefer to do this on the big ones. I'll get all the low stuff with some Crossroad (2,4-D and triclopyr) from a backpack sprayer next spring.

A forestry saw would be nice, but I just couldn't get there on justifying the spend.

 

Just add some vodka and you have a happy hour!!

 

I prefer to add a little bourbon to the applicator (me) after the job is done for the day.

 

Great idea about the dye. Are you just using food dye?

Yep, nothing beats a mouthful of Roundup. Got that a few times this fall when spraying some bigger stuff.

I can't justify the cost of a forestry saw either. Do like the idea of getting a battery powered pruner because I can use it on these messy walnut trees in my yard.

 

I bought a small container of oil based blue dye since I'm using oil based herbicide. I can't remember exactly what the intended purpose was for it, but I just put a couple tablespoons in per gallon and it works great.

If you are using water based herbicide you can use "Rit". It's used for dying clothing and is about as cheap as I've found.