Clearing Land After Snow: Burning Brush Piles and Felling Trees

Post-Snow Land Clearing Operations

• ❄️ The day after significant snowfall, the focus is on melting snow and preparing for muddy conditions, with temperatures expected to reach the mid-40s.
• 🔥 An attempt is made to burn a large brush pile using diesel fuel, taking advantage of the snow cover to mitigate fire spread and calm winds.

Managing the Burn Pile

• 🪵 Dry material, previously piled and cleared of electric fence wire, is added to the burn pile to help it catch and burn efficiently.
• ⚠️ Care is taken not to smother the fire by adding too much dirt-laden material at once.
• 🪵 Larger stumps and logs are strategically added to the fire to ensure they burn down over time.

Tree Felling and Stump Removal

• 🌲 A Volvo 220 excavator with a thumb attachment is used for delicate tree felling in tight spaces, requiring careful maneuvering.
• 🪵 Stumps are removed using the excavator, with efforts made to clear them from the area and prepare them for burning.
• ⚠️ The presence of ice on the ground makes footing difficult, complicating the process of digging out roots and maneuvering machinery.
• 🌲 Several large trees are felled, some requiring careful placement to avoid damaging existing structures like culvert pipes and fences.

Dealing with Difficult Trees and Terrain

• 🌳 A particularly massive tree is felled, requiring the use of a larger excavator (350) and posing challenges in moving and breaking down.
• ⚠️ The operator experiences a minor incident where the machine's side is scraped by a stump, highlighting the risks involved in moving large timber.
• 🪵 Efforts are made to remove dirt from stumps and roots to improve their burning efficiency, with some stumps requiring the smaller excavator for better placement.

End of Day and Future Plans

• 🪵 The burn pile is restacked, and remaining branches are added, with plans to let it burn overnight.
• 🛠️ Work shifts to assisting with the construction of log racks for a trailer, a task being completed in the shop.
• 🏡 A report of a new calf being born signals a positive development at home.