Best Time of Year to use a Dozer

[younggun1849]

I have an 1 acre area of 10-12 foot tall box alders that I want to clear. Planning on having a dozer come in and clear the area, but what is the best time to have this done? My main question is if the ground needs to be thawed before I take them out? Is it best if I leave the entire tree, or cut so it is just stumps when the dozer comes in?

 

[shawnv]

I have a whole bunch of them suckers that I need to treat and remove too.

 

[j-bird]

What is your plan for the area? Boxelder - if that is what you have are a member of the maple family that LOVE water and will stump sprout like crazy and the medium to smaller ones will hinge well. If you truly want the ground cleared I would suggest either frozen ground or really dry ground. Like I said the trees like water and if you have that many more than likely the ground is wet to some extent most of the time. Dozer more than likely won't care one way of the other if you cut them first - if you do cut them first cut them high enough so the dozer can get some leverage on the stump to bust it out of the ground. Boxelder are very prolific, so don't be surprised if more try to grow back. The dozer should be able to push them into a pile for burning or along the edge of your clearing for screening and blocking as well - typically they just need a little instruction and then turn them loose. If your clearing the spot for a plot - it sounds like you may have some water to contend with. The larger trees are interesting as they get a purple color in the wood - just as an FYI and the larger ones simply snap and don't hinge well at all. I remove my larger ones and simply hinge the smaller ones on my place.

 

[younggun1849]

I'm afraid the stumps will snap when a dozer pushes them, and the roots and part of the stump under the soil will be remaining. If I wait until the ground thaws can they pop the roots out as well?

 

[shawnv]

Box elders are like hydra, cut one and two grow back. The process of killing them all off takes time.

 

[j-bird]

My dad always uses a term that if you kill one three show up for the funeral! I was just thinking of not tearing up the ground any more than needed by doing it while the ground was frozen. They produce a lot of seed as well so you may be in for a battle for a few years. You may want to see if they have a dozer with a root ripper - this will pull up the roots and maybe the busted stumps as well. Talking to the dozer operator and showing them the size and letting them understand what you want is the best way to ensure you have everyone on the same page.

 

[huthut]

Frozen ground is tough to work with and leave it half way level/not remove too much top soil. I tried last winter to do some dozer work in some willows and popple and stopped. Waited until snow was gone and ground was not as deeply frozen and worked much better. I did not want to remove anymore top soil with roots than absolutely necessary.

 

[tooln]

I'd do it when it is thawed and dry. You'll leave more dirt behind which = less holes to fill.

 

[ruskbucks]

Wait till spring when the ground is thawed, the only reason to do it when the ground is frozen is if it's to wet any other time of year. I'm a dozer operator, I will tell you working in the winter on a dozer is no fun. You will not be able to get the stumps out with the frost in the ground, if you do all your topsoil will be gone. The metal tracks on frozen ground are like ice skates, making the dozer way less efficient. I would leave the trees up for the dozer. If you do cut them, leave the stump high(about 3 ft high. This will allow leverage to push the stump over. It allows takes the surprise out for the dozer operator where the stumps are. I don't like finding buried stumps or boulders that much.