Using land versus saving trees

[southernsibe]

We finally after a year of looking found someone that was willing to come in and cut the timber on our land. We could find plenty of people willing to charge $4500 an acre to clear it, but no one wanted to mess with our little five acres to cut the timber. Anyway, we finally found someone. I am a big tree person. Pines are ok, but I really love hard woods. And in order for this guy to make it worth his time, he has to take some of those down too. I'm just sick to my stomach watching them fall. We marked several, but that's never enough. We need to cut the trees for a couple of reasons. The pines are just dangerous. They are huge and in proximity to the house if and when they fall. It isn't uncommon for them to fall during storms. So they are getting taken down. Plus in order to have adequate pasture land, the trees need to be thinned.

Sorry for the rant. Just don't feel too good to day and the sound of the trees hitting the ground isn't helping.

Rachel

 

[texaschickmama]

Rachel, I'm sorry for that. You know the tall pines we have in East Texas are huge, and could cause catastrophic damage and injury. Luckily, here in North Texas we only have mostly oaks, like 2 mesquite (great for grilling with), and some other really small ones. Just think that you are improving your land for cattle or whatever is going to use those pastures.

 

[jenichick]

I went through this very same thing. We had a hard time finding a house with land that had a big enough house that didn't need any work for our price range. We finally found a house with 8.5 acres all wooded on a mountainside. We needed pasture for our 3 horses but hated, absolutely hated cutting down trees. We cut them down most of them ourselves to make sure we left as many as we could, but some were just to big and tall, and the hill to steep for us novices.

So we painted ever oak, maple, hardwood that was big and strong and healthy and had the guy leave those and all the dogwoods they could. We were left with probably 50 or so nice trees in the 4 acre section, and the pasture is still surrounded by state park. We may have spent close to $8000 to have all the stumps removed and buried and a 1/2 acre pond built with a dam. I hated seeing them fall, but we kept almost all of the wood except for some of the trunks they buried. Now when I look out and see the seed coming up on the new section with those trees still standing I'm glad we saved them.

It will be beautiful in the end!!

 

[TxChiknRanchers]

Went through that when we cleared this place. Actually had to clear some to even get in here we're in what is known as "The Big Thicket" so that best describes this area. I hated to do it and did save some but wish now I had saved more. Err on the side of conservancy. They will take a long time to replace. I know.......I am preaching to the Quoir here! just ranting myself!

 

[southernsibe]

I just couldn't take it anymore and went out to talk to the man that owns the company. He is a very nice person and easy to get along with. He helped me pick some more trees to save and even gave me some advice on why he would choose to keep some and not others.

We have gone from almost totally wooded to having quite a bit of open land. The trees we kept will certainly be healthier.

Now I am trying to figure something out that I can put around the perimeter of the land to...keep the chickens in. Up till now they have pretty much free ranged in the dust bowl where the horses are and in the front yard. All together, less then 2 acres. Now that the whole place is open to them, I am worried that they will go off of my property. The horse fence isn't going to do much to keep them in. Any ideas? I'm not sure where to post this question in the other forums. I'd love to know what people do. I guess it is modified free range?
Rachel

 

[Katy]

Unlike my guineas who wander far and wide, I've never really had a problem with the chickens wandering too far. I'm in the wide open spaces of central Kansas, so it's not like there's much brush or bushes acting as a fence.

 

[verthandi]

I was faced with the same decision for my farm. Hated seeing the trees go. But I kept a 15 foot buffer around the 7 acres so that the property lines are still wooded, it helped with losing my wooded area.

I can tell you that I love my bigger pastures now. But have lost many of the trees that I left in the pastures about 4 to 5 years after. They don't do well with the removal of the other trees that surrounded them.

 

[PurpleChicken]

Just like everyone else here I love trees and hate to cut them.

If your worried about the environmental issues, don't. If your cutting
down woods to make a big lawn you spray pesticides, herbacides, and
fertilizer then that is bad. If you are cutting down the trees for usable land to
raise animals on, leting wild grasses grow on it, and trying to eliminate the
danger of falling trees than you are just fine.

Don
Realistic Environmentalist
Being green means your gonna throw up, not that your are taking care of
OUR planet.