Clean up after logging or not?

[Resica]

I would say it depends on how you want to use the areas, if you want to hunt over them for a few years then clean and burn the remaining leftovers, if you leave it as is then you'll only get to hunt over it for a couple years, maybe 3 at the most, past then it will be too overgrown to see anything in, and at some point will become to thick to even walk through, would be great cover for deer and everything else at that point though.

I hate the way timber companies do land now when they clearcut, just letting everything lay and decompose on its own, they don't do it because its beneficial for the soil, they do it because its cheaper, bottom line ! they'll let it lay for 6 months after clearing, then they spray the whole thing with herbicide, so nothing can grow until they're ready to plant again, which is usually around 6 or 8 months later, in the meantime no animals will use the areas because there is nothing for them to eat out there ,

the old way was much better, pushing everything up into piles, burning it down to nothing, and then planting, I swear the trees looked healthier the first few years back then, than the way they do it now

They leave a lot of tops laying around up here to give some cover for new seedlings to come up with some protection from deer.

 

[lildorris00]

Id clean it up, personally. I had about 4 acres cleared at my place. I am DIY'n the cleanup and those giant excavators are a blast to operate. Make a big pile of stumps n burn em. In the end you have pasture / foodplot / dove field, whatever you want and it won't look so awful. It's expensive but worth it. And I think pasture / tillable land is worth more the stripped down old clearcut. But, for me, it was worth the cost just to drive the big diggin' machines.

Did you rent the machines or already have access to them? I agree, nothing like a good down running equipment.

 

[JB0704]

Did you rent the machines or already have access to them? I agree, nothing like a good down running equipment.

I rented them. I believe the machine I rented was a 25 ton excavator. I had it for one week and man that was a GREAT time!
The smaller mini-x's are cheaper, and have the blade on the front, but you waste too much time digging stumps. It's worth the extra $$ to be able to rip up a giant stump with just a few scoops. It took me a minute or two to get the hang of it, but once I did I was able to pop em out quickly.