Dealing with Stumps on large properties

Well I have not read this anywhere on this particular thread but number one no matter the method of choice ...the equipment operator's KNOW HOW trumps everything ..
He needs to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt he is well versed in whatever he is using, what you expect and then you or your pal need to follow up on operator references ..
AS in timber cutting for example ..there are plenty of guys who can properly cruise a timber stand ..mark the right trees and fell them and buck them out ...BUT the true professional will leave your woods in great shape by NOT leaving "widow makers" everywhere..roads torn to hell and good valuable trees not destroyed and damaged from falling trees and log skidders shearing off half their bark ..
You will have the same concerns but in different ways whoever is hired to do the stump removal work ..the wrong guy can leave it looking like no man's land from a world war I movie or all holes can be back filled ..worked areas dressed up in general ..access roads left behind so as to not set up erosion via crowning them and angling them in gradual assent/descent You do not say if the entire area was clear cut or if only marketable timber was cut ..but in my opinion there would be a difference in how one would approach recovering the ground for wildlife ..certainly hill sides clear cut need quick plant growth as in cereal grains or other fast cover ..and maybe a plat plan where plots are planned in stages over "X" number of years ..800 AC is a crap load of recovery to do in one feld swoop
So if your pal is going to attempt it himself the grinder set to finish the cut like 6" below the surrounding lay of the ground might give him the best start at opening up some early plot spots ..
Just remember rest areas ..bedding and covered travel avenues are as valuable as a food plots ..if not more !!

Bear
 
I would think if the owner can afford an 800 parcel of land.....he has the wherewithal to pay for some stumping. Maybe just me? lots of variable and unknown here.

It’s not the stumps. It’s the size of the pond he’ll need to use all those stumps for fish cover.


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I watch video's where guys often spend hours to dig out a stump and then they are left with a big hole and a stump to burn, stack up or bury somewhere else. IF YOU HAVE PINES.....grinding is the way to go. 5 minutes Max and POOF.....they are GONE. I don't even bother the fill the hole.....it happens naturally when I later disk or till the plot.

I've ground over 4000 stumps from my plots over the years.....using nothing more than a 35 HP tractor and a 3 Point Grinder. I'm done with any large scale stump projects now......but with Pines.....I would suggest grinding 'em over any other excavation method. My 2 Cents.
 
Well I have not read this anywhere on this particular thread but number one no matter the method of choice ...the equipment operator's KNOW HOW trumps everything ..


You said it all right there.
 
I watch video's where guys often spend hours to dig out a stump and then they are left with a big hole and a stump to burn, stack up or bury somewhere else. IF YOU HAVE PINES.....grinding is the way to go. 5 minutes Max and POOF.....they are GONE. I don't even bother the fill the hole.....it happens naturally when I later disk or till the plot.

I've ground over 4000 stumps from my plots over the years.....using nothing more than a 35 HP tractor and a 3 Point Grinder. I'm done with any large scale stump projects now......but with Pines.....I would suggest grinding 'em over any other excavation method. My 2 Cents.
I have a similar situation with a red pine plantation that was clear cut four years ago and I am trying to decide how I want to clear out some new food plots. About 15 years ago I did manage to clear out a 2 acre plot with a tractor loader backhoe on a 6 year old clear cut. Back then the trees were about average 6 inches in diameter and I could push most of them out. Now the stumps are 9 inches on average and I need to dig most of them out. It is a lot more work and makes a real mess with all the stumps. They do work nice for directing deer movement.

I’m ok with not getting all my new food plots done in one year but my immediate concern is all the new growth (poplar, white pines and oaks) taking over. My ground clearance on the TLB is too low for just pushing all the downed brush easily. I’ve bent my tie rod more than once.

I’m try to decide if I should buy a PTO stump grinder to speed up the work. I have very sandy soil and lots of field stone. What kind of soil do you have and how many times did you have to replace the teeth on your grinder?
 
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