Pine Plantation mass cull/Removal

Rugged made
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Jimbo209

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Location
Perth, Australia
This is my Basketball Coach/Mentor property about 250m length lot pictured
This is still a little way off happening but assessing if its viable at all in terms of machinery cost

There was initially 4000 trees hand planted 35-40 years ago thinking there was money in it as every man and his dog was planting them, But it was a big wrought out here to avoid land tax

They haven't been fertilized so are as small as 3-4"dbh in the middle but out to +20"ish on the edge,
the got hit with disease at some point and some have died

Processing them
not sure of exact spices, will find out
told that its ****** pine no good for boards, just mulch.
options are contracting a crew to get it done or I would like to repay him for a lot of help

hope I'm in the right forum possibly need the questions to be split

looking to know what to do re a chainsaw to handle this have the 660/026 but thinking about a ported 241cm as it will hold up withe the normal fines after this job is done and 'dusted'. but not fixed on one just yet, does the stock one in the trading post now make that decision a lot easier

As well as any other advice


Processing Equipment
buying a chipper @ 10-20k+
or just hire for $385day
http://www.machines4u.com.au/view/advert/Bandit-1590xp-Wood-Chipper/108889/

google maps of lot in question
upload_2015-9-7_23-23-28.png
 
Select cut so we have AS and the site logo viewable from the air, kind of the reverse of the Studebaker one at Bendix Woods.

2b4edca5b0a03de8088cf2dd9c98e602.jpg


If the goal is to remove the trees, hire someone to get it done unless you want to spend half a lifetime doing it.
 
I've got a few points -

$10-$20k won't be buying you an 18" chipper like the one you have shown that you can rent. At least not one that is capable of working reliably. You might get yourself a bandit 90, but that'd be it. Anything bigger than an 8-9" chipper and you'd want a winch on it in my opinion. Is there any scope to burn on site? If not you'll want at least an 18" chipper or you'll be spending your life there.
If you can afford to buy a chipper it will be worth what you paid for it when you finish.
If I have to use my chipper on a job I add $400 a day. Nobody balks at this. I charge that whether I take chip away or leave it on site. That's just a 9" chipper.

The outside trees will have some large side branches, it won't be a case of just get the butt in the chipper and walk away.

Do you have access to any machinery? Loader, excavator, etc?

What are you planning on doing with the chip? If all the chip needs to be moved you need a truck, and everything stops when the truck is full. That cuts into the day pretty fast.
If all the chip needs to be in one spot on the block you need to move the trees to the chipper. That's not going to happen with any small machinery!

Some of the bigger stuff you'll be going well to get 50 through a chipper like you showed in a day. Some of the smaller stuff you might get 300 in a day.

All up, there has every likelihood of 60 days work in there with small scale machinery (18" chipper, chainsaw, 1 fit person).

Try a repost in the logging forum, those guys can give you some hints on stepping up to their work methods.
Personally I'd be looking at a d9 and a bonfire.
 
It's unclear in your post as to what you are trying to accomplish. ie, what's the goal for the property? Acreage like this is not for a newbie. There are professional companies that do this daily and that's who you need to hook up with.
Where is the property located and what was the original intention for the trees when planted.
You sure on the number of trees? Sounds low. I have a tree plantation that had about 80,000 trees planted on it for Christmas trees. (95 acres)
 
Guido Salvage said:
Select cut so we have AS and the site logo viewable from the air, kind of the reverse of the Studebaker one at Bendix Woods.

2b4edca5b0a03de8088cf2dd9c98e602.jpg


If the goal is to remove the trees, hire someone to get it done unless you want to spend half a lifetime doing it.
Click to expand...
Need to get ground pictures to complete but the property is 45-60 minutes away
\EDIT HAHAH missed that while on phone last night
 
Bon fire is a option I suppose

That is zoomed in on just his trees, I can do the whole property and I'll repost in logging as well
 
fearofpavement said:
Jimbo, I still don't have an understanding of what you're trying to accomplish on this property?
Click to expand...
aah yep you are right. I'm sorry was late when posted

The property is just north of the fringe of the urban sprawl in Perth 40km N/E from the city, eventually Warren will have the developers on his door step and wants to clear the whole lot before selling out
edit extra pics
 

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If he's not the one to do the development, what would be the point? Does he feel the property would be more attractive without trees on it? If that is the case, then to properly clear it, it needs to be done with a D-6 or larger crawler that can remove the stumps as well.
Do the trees have any value? You mentioned "mulch", are there companies that would come and chip up the entire forest for power plant usage or something similar?
If it's allowed, one of the better options would be to burn it. (push the trees into piles and torch them)
 
fearofpavement said:
If he's not the one to do the development, what would be the point? Does he feel the property would be more attractive without trees on it? If that is the case, then to properly clear it, it needs to be done with a D-6 or larger crawler that can remove the stumps as well.
Do the trees have any value? You mentioned "mulch", are there companies that would come and chip up the entire forest for power plant usage or something similar?
If it's allowed, one of the better options would be to burn it. (push the trees into piles and torch them)
Click to expand...
I'll double check the details with him, but i think he was thinking of getting some of/if any of the return from his effort since ""converting the whole block from a sand dune 40 years ago""
 
The edges of the city seem pretty sharply defined. It could be many years before his property is in demand. Not sure I'd be mowing it down now unless it could generate revenue he needs or could use at present. In this area, five acres is the minimum that a commercial company is interested in. So maybe he's got enough stuff there to be able to sell it.
 
fearofpavement said:
The edges of the city seem pretty sharply defined. It could be many years before his property is in demand. Not sure I'd be mowing it down now unless it could generate revenue he needs or could use at present. In this area, five acres is the minimum that a commercial company is interested in. So maybe he's got enough stuff there to be able to sell it.
Click to expand...
k
Your right In 2-3 years they will be at his place I did at that this is a way off being done
 
weedkilla said:
Without being even halfway accurate 250m x 100m, that's 2.5ha/6.25 acres.
Click to expand...

Your are indeed spot on weedkilla, 2.5Hec or 6.25 acres. Need to work out owners aims, demand for pine wood/foliage(?) chips, cost to produce, or just windrow up with
a tracked machine and burn, then start over again to rehab. land into something that is productive.

It looks like it's grey sandy country, the rest of the blocks there aren't growing much.

Need to work this out carefully or could be a dust bowl in summer, quite a lot to work out with owner really.
 
Chain it and burn it , 4000 trees through a hand feed chipper :cry: and still have to get rid of the stumps ,
May be worth ringing plantation logging or another harvest company theres a big contract at the moment for very small pine logs , the word is china is taking them for building products in the rural areas over there , they have been carting them from 50 km east of albany to the port in bunbury flat out for the last couple of months
 
Jimbo209 said:
options are contracting a crew to get it done or I would like to repay him for a lot of help
Click to expand...

i'm counting less than 1000 semi mature or growth stunted pine trees on 250m x 50m = 600 to 750 if average 16m2 footprint. Still i'd sub it out to forest machinery > $3500+ per day est 3-4 days =$12000- 18000 then dozer to pile burn if stumps they need to go 3 days $9000 take off your 10% $2K watch the equipment work while you drink a beer. Flog the decent logs or dispose move at nil cost oh check you local gov fire and site waste controls likely need permit my $$ est price are guesstimate best go find a hungry contractor
 
Twere my lot, I'd do a reverse group selection. Meaning, I'd clearcut, but leave some attractive small groves for esthetics.
Only trouble is they may be subject to high winds.
We can always cut them down, but we cant stand them back up again.
John
 
Gypo, I agree with that and that's why I personally wouldn't do anything with the land unless it was going to generate revenue. One doesn't know what the future purchaser has in mind, maybe they need "green space" as part of a large development or whatever. Let the future buyer do with the forest what they want. It would be like repainting a house before sale and then the buyer doesn't like those colors and wants to deduct for painting. Just leave it until someone comes along with an open wallet.
 

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