Forestry mower for rent or service to hire?

[pine]

Will you have to spray herbicides to keep that stuff from coming right back?  I'm hoping I get enough rain in the next couple of weeks that the blackberries will grow enough before they go dormant so I can spray them.  I want to plant my trees this winter.

It is getting a bit late for spraying unless you can hit them in the next week and even then it is pushing it out in our neck of the woods.

There were some studies that were done that showed that herbicides would be significantly less effective after a season of drought. 
I was concerned about that this year. 

After a bit of research, I did my last spray in late September and had good effects using Triclopyr ester at 90% recommended rate and increasing the surfactant by 50%.  It seemed to defeat the study's results but they were using straight recommended rates.  Decreasing the Triclopyr slows down the process of it dying but allows the system to more fully pull it all the way into the roots before the system shock occurs.  Increasing the surfactant also breaks down the extra drought hardening of the plant.

[DeerMeadowFarm]

Will you have to spray herbicides to keep that stuff from coming right back?

Yes. Part of this improvement measure requires two sprayings. My contact at NCRS will come out shortly to inspect the "mechanical removal" of the invasive species. Next spring when they start to regenerate I will do the first spraying. He will come out again at that time to note the brown/dead vegetation indicating a successful first spray. When it regenerates again, I will need to spray and have another inspection. At that point, they should release the cost-share money to me. In reality, I will need to continue to spray even after they consider them "controlled". In the areas we have smoothed out I will plant clover/grass to help choke them out further and I should be able to get in there a few times a year to easily brush hog.

Yesterday was the last day I had Ed out there. We got everything smoothed out pretty good; good enough to brush hog anyway. I am very happy with the results. I need to use my forestry clearing saw to run around and zip a few of the barberry and bittersweet thet was growing too close to the trees we wanted to save or in the areas too rough to get into, then I can get the rep from NCRS to come out and inspect.

I wasn't expecting this when we were working yesterday!


 

Luckily I was able to get a good bushel of apples the day before. Not a bad harvest from a tree we didn't even know we had until we mowed the brush! Wife made a pie with some of them last night; very yummy!



 

[pine]

You did a very nice job on the work that you have had done.  Keep it up and the long term effects will put a smile on your face every time you look at it.

[beenthere]

My contact at NCRS will come out shortly

Is that http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/site/national/home/   ??

[thecfarm]

That looks good. I am claiming a pasture. I brought a flair mower to keep up on it. Not a cheap thing to own but it does a nice job on keeping the junk down. After a few years,grass comes back all by itself.

[DeerMeadowFarm]

@ Beenthere - Yes. I have 4 "contract items" that they are allowing money for. 2 of them are related to invasive species removal. One is "Access Control" which is essentially marking my boundaries. They allow so much per foot of boundary marked. I'm doing all of that myself since I just had the property surveyed anyway. The last item is a "crop release" where I will receive money for releasing 20 sugar maple trees per acre in one of my stands. I will do all the work for that as well. So, basically, what I am paying out of my pocket above what they allow for the invasive species will be made up by the other two items since I won't have to pay anything for those. I should break even at worst or be ahead by a couple of hundred when it's all said and done.

Ray - I am looking for a flail mower myself! I think that would be best in that area. I want to get one heavy enough to put the brush knives on it but you are right; they're not cheap!

[pine]

Just remember the NRCS payments are reported on the 1099 form, line 6 I think, so you will pay marginal tax rate (whatever that is for you) on that so it is harder to break even than it seems at first glance.

[DeerMeadowFarm]

Right, but when I file my farm taxes, the money I spent this year will go towards my expenditures for the year. Next year when I get paid it will be reflected as "income". So, as I understand it, this year will be OK.

[pine]

Right, but when I file my farm taxes, the money I spent this year will go towards my expenditures for the year. Next year when I get paid it will be reflected as "income". So, as I understand it, this year will be OK.

My NRCS experience has been the CIN that is inspected is paid very shortly after it has been verified by the NRCS representative.  Thus if 2 of the CIN's are for invasive species removal, you may get paid for it this year and the other two CIN's for boundary marking and release paid when you do them.  Not knowing exactly when your contract was signed but there is a requirement for the first practice to be accomplished in the first year.  Assuming that that is the case for you, and you did these two CIN's there may be a requirement to pay you as well.  Talk to you NRCS rep to see if you can manipulate it to your benefit.  I know back in 2011 I had my inspection in late December but asked the NRCS rep to drag their feet on the paperwork so that it was not paid until 2 January for tax purposes.

[DeerMeadowFarm]

Good point Pine. I won't be eligible for payment on the invasive stuff until next year. After mechanical removal, I have to do two chemical treatments. That means I need the stuff to start regenerating, spray it, have them inspect the brown/dead regrowth, wait until it regenerates again, spray it, and have them inspect it one last time. The only CI that is due for this year is the access control which we will do over the next month or so. I have all the material, just waiting for more leaves to drop so I can see the lines better.

[pine]

Wow I like the way my contract was written much better as to payment schedule. 
Of course mine was not just to get rid of invasives but to get ride of invasives, replant with seedlings, and then control the invasives for 2 years.
As a result each item is a different CIN and thus I could be paid separately.  I choose to  clump several CIN's together just for bookkeeping ease.

Either way with the work you have done, your place is really looking good.

[DeerMeadowFarm]

Thanks Pine!

[enigmaT120]

It is getting a bit late for spraying unless you can hit them in the next week and even then it is pushing it out in our neck of the woods.

That's what I'm concerned about, too.  But my mowed area looks like the ones in the pics in this thread, and there's nothing there alive for my spray to work on.  But it will be back.  I guess I'll just have to mow and spray around my baby trees, ugh. 

Most of my remaining blackberries still have lots of green leaves, have barely begun to turn color, and I think the spray will still work on them.  But not on the mowed areas.  I did a bunch a couple of weeks ago.  Having to work 6 days a week isn't helping.

[DeerMeadowFarm]

Having to work 6 days a week isn't helping.

I hear you. I'm thankful for having a job, but I wish I had more time to work on my property!

[Piston]

That one apple pie that your wife made from the apple tree's you didn't even know you had, made it all worth it I'm sure!  That is awesome!

[DeerMeadowFarm]

Thanks for the comments Matt and especially for hooking me up with Ed. I think we actually became friends and we are looking forward to having him do more work on our property when we get reimbursed from this first project!

[Piston]

Thanks for the comments Matt and especially for hooking me up with Ed. I think we actually became friends and we are looking forward to having him do more work on our property when we get reimbursed from this first project!

No problem Rich, glad everything worked out in your favor with the funding!  I looked into some land reclamation funding programs for my NH land a few years back, and spoke to the county forester about it, but I didn't really understand how it worked and kind of dropped the ball on it. 

I might consider looking back into it now that I've heard a "success story", although different state by state I'm sure. 

[llacwasan]

Hi. I'm looking for a forestry mulcher to do some work in wilbraham ma. I was wondering if you had contact info for who you had do yours in warren. Any info would be great. Thanks

[Piston]

If you don't hear back from deermeadowfarm just shoot me a PM and I can give you the contact info.

[DeerMeadowFarm]

Hi. I'm looking for a forestry mulcher to do some work in wilbraham ma. I was wondering if you had contact info for who you had do yours in warren. Any info would be great. Thanks

Check your PM's

[brianJ]

How do you find out what programs NRCS offers for woodlands?   There must be more than just stopping in the office and asking, What can I get money for?

[ohiowoodchuck]

Ask your state forester. He done my land management plan and he signed me up for equip, which they turned me down for. I then got with the local NWTF forester and he did me a wildlife management plan. I got approved for that one. I got approved to remove invasive species(tree of heaven) and put in a 8 acre food plot for turkeys. The money was good seems like they payed me to much for removing the tree of heaven and not enough on clearing the ground on the 8 acre opening/ food plot. You get a 1099 and have to pay taxes on it. I claim farm on everything and usually do decent on the taxes. You have one year to do each task on the list, at least for me anyway. I have sprayed two different parts of my property for tree of heaven and now I got till December of 2017 to clear 8 acres.

[DeerMeadowFarm]

How do you find out what programs NRCS offers for woodlands?   There must be more than just stopping in the office and asking, What can I get money for?

Actually, that's kind of what I did. I did have a forestry plan written and my forester told me that there were all sorts of programs, but it was only when I made an appointment with my local NRCS rep did I learn what was possible. It's been well worth it for me so far.

[geeeerad]

Hey Deermeadow or piston..Do either of you still have the contact info for the guy that did the work for you? Im over in grafton (next town over from Upton) and looking to hire someone to come mulch up my over grown back / side yards.  Just moved into the house in November and previous owner was an elderly woman that couldn't keep up with the yard.  I have 2 small kids and would love to give them a yard to play in but just don't know where to start. I saw some videos while doing research and saw the mulching machines and figured that looks exactly like what I would need to clear this out.

Thanks in advance

Rob

[DeerMeadowFarm]

Hey Deermeadow or piston..Do either of you still have the contact info for the guy that did the work for you? Im over in grafton (next town over from Upton) and looking to hire someone to come mulch up my over grown back / side yards.  Just moved into the house in November and previous owner was an elderly woman that couldn't keep up with the yard.  I have 2 small kids and would love to give them a yard to play in but just don't know where to start. I saw some videos while doing research and saw the mulching machines and figured that looks exactly like what I would need to clear this out.

Thanks in advance

Rob

I think you sent me an e-mail asking this correct? Or was it someone else..?