More Hack-N-Squirt

[Magicman]

Sounds like you've been at this a while with the hours per quart math. Seems like most of the stuff I accomplish in the forest is labor intensive.

There's an old saying about "what's time to a pig".....

This property has been in my family since 1899.  It's mine only to care for and to pass on in better shape than it was in when I got it.  Yes, it's labor intensive, but I'm looking down the road 40 years when I'm able to walk among those tall oaks, smile, and realize that it was all worth it......

[SwampDonkey]

Sounds like something a little bird told me. 

[chain]

My goal is for the dead and falling Sweetgums to provide a virtual jungle which will keep deer out.  This should protect the new Cherrybark red oaks from being rubbed by the bucks.

I cut the "momma" tree in 2005 which was seeding this area.....   Good luck on keeping the deer out 'cause I know that the ice storm created a jungle unpenetrable to mankind yet, the deer are lovin' it! What about cutting down the gum and apply product to stumps?

We attended a TSI seminar and watched three 'pros' demonstrate their techniques. On 8" plus dbh they would chain-saw a double ring then, apply product to lower ring. Other smaller trees, simply whack off at ground and deaden stump. I do, however, use the hack & squirt with a heavy bitted hatchet for those tough rock hickory and such. Ever see sparks fly off the bark when striking?

[ibseeker]

"Ever see sparks fly off the bark when striking?"

Nope but it wouldn't surprise me. I bought a brush ax at the Home Depot and proceeded to whack small saplings along an old road bed. I was doing fine until I hit a small sapling (3/4") and the ax bounced off, so I loaded up and swung for the fences...snapped that handle like kindling. My FIL looked at the sapling and said "That's a hickory, you might want to try a real tool...like a chainsaw." That was my first experience with understanding why it's called hardwood.

Swampdonkey, how would one of those brushing clearing saws work on a hickory?
I can just see that thing bouncing around and cutting down everything but the hickory, including my leg.

[SwampDonkey]

I was gonna comment earlier about seeing sparks. You haven't cut pin cherry yet with a brush saw I take it. If any brush saw I got, bounces off a sapling when I go into her, it's either a steel post or the blade's dull. Our white ash, rock maple and beech up here are mighty hard sticks and I can cut'm. The beech is the densest, you gotta check the set and keep blades sharp.   I actually like cutting hardwood better than spruce. I can see the darn ground and no blow downs to walk over, generally.

[ibseeker]

The one quote I remember about using a brush saw was "it's like a goat on a rope, take your eye off of it and it'll eat whatever it can get to." Probably not an exact quote but it stuck with me.

[SwampDonkey]

I think I can follow that scenario, especially if you come at some beefier stems from the right hand side of the blade. She'll eat right through real quick like and usually the stem you want left. They are actually safer than a chain saw with proper harness and safety boots. Just don't be the guy sneaking up without getting your buddy's attention from some distance. One swing around behind and your leg could be removed at the ankle.  The only time you'd cut yourself is to reach at a spinning blade to clear brush off the guard. Which you should know not to do, but it happens on rare occasion. If you don't operate with maintained gear you'll be looking for a new job when working where we do. The safety inspector went on a site last fall on another crew that wasn't being supervised. First five guys checked had their blade guards all removed from their saws. Early retirement for the whole crew.  There seems to be a myth about the guard slowing up production. I always make my pay and then some with the guard on where it belongs.

[eamassey]

Sweet gum.  A real weed tree to me.  My current response to sweet gum is to cut them down pretty low and take them to a local "forwarding yard" for sale.  Current price is $43 per ton.  If  this price holds up for a while, the motivation may be enough for me to rid one of my locations of most all sweet gum above 6" diameter.  Of course I'll still be left with the small ones-- and suckers.  Anybody got a couple hundred head of goats to rent out?

[WDH]

That is an excellent price.

[Magicman]

Most of mine are less than 6", but it doesn't matter now anyway.  I've got baby Cherrybark oak seedlings planted throughout the Sweetgum thickets.