We have the same project going. 800 acres total. I caught on to your mention of the NRCS office in other videos, glad we did. We’re running a Stihl 066, 044, and 026.
It's looking good! I'm in this same process with 5 acres in western Washington. The underbrush is thick blackberries so, I go thin the trees and buck em up then put pigs in. The pigs turn it to dirt in a month, then seed it. I'm taking it a quarter acre at a time.
Lightning and ice and wind get some trees, so I agree on leaving "too much" for a perfectly calculated savannah canopy. Nature will adjust it as we go along, as we might too. Not easy putting 'em back.
Man I'm jealous, looks like a nice fall day to work in the woods there. . I spent two days plowing a trail in my woods just so I could go skid out 3 trees to cut up on my mill because my 4-wheel drive tractor wouldn't go in the deep snow.
We are really excited to see the final results, have 2 more videos coming that show the progression till the first area is finished. Looks like a completely different area, healthy looking.
Great video! It speaks to me because we are working on the same stuff. I hope you continue focusing on forestry related subjects, I would love to see a more in-depth of “Cut/don’t Cut” series. Great job and thank you!!!!
Great work. Creating silvopasture is so important but hard work since it’s primarily done by hand since most areas are too thick and/or too steep to hire a bloke with skid loader and saw blade. Typically I work alone but two chainsaws in case I get one hung up. Older I get though, I’m losing my nerve to fell those big trees.
Gonna be interesting to see how this spot improves. The amount of sunlight you are letting in should have grass growing in no time. Thanks again have a wonderful weekend.
I would take those co-doms or "twins" as you call them. They are much more likely to be damaged in an ice storm or get water between the trunks and suffer from rot as a result, especially after you have opened up the canopy. In commercial forestry they are one of the first to go in order to improve stand health.
Why can’t I watch the first part of this video? It won’t play? I follow your videos daily, I usually keep 2-3 up my sleeve. I’ve been watching for several years from Australia and find your videos very interesting and informative. But this one won’t play?
Looking great! And safety is everything when felling trees. Noticed the many 3 to 6 foot tiny sapplings and wondering what y'all do on those? Great video and great progess!
Might consider running a fire through the leaf litter periodically. It would at least top kill the seedlings. Lack of fire is why it got so overstocked in the first place.
@@johnortmann3098 Greg Judy said below, "No we will not burn off the leaves. That is organic ground cover that will add to more healthy soil building. If you burn it, you lost a ton of good organic material that will feed your soil microbes." You may want to re-consider if you have animals (sheep/goats) that can feed on the undergrowth before it gets back out of hand.
@@johnthomas6895 OK, let's talk soil science. 1. Soil organic matter is mostly produced in the soil from root material. Plant debris on the surface has little to do with it. 2. A given soil in a given environment will only hold so much organic carbon. Adding more speeds up microbial action that reduces it to its maximum level. Meanwhile, it's tying up a lot of soil nitrogen, making it unavailable for plant growth. Burning off the leaf litter also quickly mineralizes other nutrients, making it plant available. 3. In contrast, adding biochar (charcoal) to soil can be done indefinitely as it's not subject to microbial action. While increasing water-holding and ion exchange capacity, the biochar will remain essentially forever, permanently sinking its carbon content, which as per #2, organic carbon can't do. Finally, I didn't say to burn it annually, just periodically, enough to hold down the sprouts. Your suggestion of using goats is also a good one, as they would certainly hammer the brush.
We've been thinning out a heavily cramped English oak stand for the past 2 winters some saw logs coming out at 3ft wide 28ft long. They certainly make a racket when they hit the deck. Looking forward to seeing how the stand develops over my lifetime.
You said you were going to get some cow poop among those trees. I remember you saying cows around trees can kill them. I also remember your cattle shading under trees. I am curious about the happy middle.
Large cow herds that stay under one tree for shade for 3-4 days in a row can kill oak trees. Our cows will be under the trees for 8-12 hours 4-5 times a year. That is the difference.
@Sean Balch - No, he doesn’t. He has his cows trample it into the soil, which feeds the soil, which makes better grass, healthier cows, keeps more rainwater in the soil, preventing erosion.
It might work, the problem arrives when they start fruiting. You need to have your inoculated logs close to your daily travel so that you can check on fruiting status. If their randomly scattered around the woods on the back 40, you will miss most of your mushroom fruiting. The work and cost is getting everything inoculated, make sure you can reap the harvest😊😊😊
Yes, brush packed tight in draws can slow down water from heavy rains. You need enough space to get sunlight down to the ground on all 4 sides of the tree. That spacing is around 50-60 feet.
It is our lifetime lease farm. Land is selling in this area for $6000 per acre. Three acres of grazing land added from previous unproductive brush is equals to $18000. Not bad wages for 4-5 days of work.
Cant wait to keep seeing the progress here. Question though, might be a dumb one to ask you but I have to ask lol. Once all done an cleaned up will you burn off the leafs or just cover up the leafs with hay??
No we will not burn off the leaves. That is organic ground cover that will add to more healthy soil building. If you burn it, you lost a ton of good organic material that will feed your soil microbes.
It is spelled Shiitaki. They are mushrooms that grow on logs that we cut from the silvopasture project. The logs are inoculated by us after being cut for 2 weeks minimum. You cannot use dead trees to grow shiitaki mushrooms, they need to be green alive trees when cut. It is best to cut them after the leaves have fallen off in the fall.
Six or seven hours of THREE saws cutting in there. It's going to be a bit slower here, me with no interns... But today is a great day for it. Greg how long will you shiitake logs remain viable for inoculation? I have friends farming mushrooms, and I'm contributing wood for their effort. As they are new to it, they're trying to go by the book. I know you have more experience than many books. What says ye with regard to how much delay is too much for mushroom logs to be "seeded". Thanks.
Once the logs are cut, they need a minimum of 14 days to cure before applying spawn. Do not leave them sitting longer than 30 days without putting spawn in them. There are wild fungi spores floating around in the air looking for wood to make a home in!! If you inoculate a log that already has wild spore living in it, your shiitake production will be dramatically lower in that log. Possibly no production at all, the wild fungi kicked out your spores!!
@@gregjudyregenerativerancher From my ridge property, wild oysters dominate. I can simply ring (kill) the Ailanthus (invasive similar to Sumac) and they start sprouting oysters (which I like). Thanks for the info. Morels will be coming soon. I was able to sell some of those last season.
Hey Greg couple questions! What do you use for keeping the stumps from growing back? Also, I'm in north florida/ Georgia area. What trees do I use for post? I have white oak that I'm harvesting now, it's super thick and sandy. Trying to thin and get sunlight as well.
Once cleared out, how long do you expect it to take before you can use this area for grazing? I have a similar piece of property and would like to convert it to silvopasture, but wasn't sure what timeline to expect.
This year we will park the cattle in this area for 30 minutes to an hour at 1 million lbs per acre. We will put out a few 100 lb bales of hay to let them have something to chew on. We are focused on getting the mob effect of trampling on the ground litter into smaller pieces and invigorating the existing seed bank. We will repeat this process 4-5 times this year. This next winter we will be unrolling hay in there to introduce more carbon and seed.
We have the same project going. 800 acres total. I caught on to your mention of the NRCS office in other videos, glad we did. We’re running a Stihl 066, 044, and 026.
Thanks again for all your videos! Have a great one!
I can’t wait to see this after a year or two
It's looking good! I'm in this same process with 5 acres in western Washington. The underbrush is thick blackberries so, I go thin the trees and buck em up then put pigs in. The pigs turn it to dirt in a month, then seed it. I'm taking it a quarter acre at a time.
This is great series, can't wait to see the end. Doing something similar on my property.
Lightning and ice and wind get some trees, so I agree on leaving "too much" for a perfectly calculated savannah canopy. Nature will adjust it as we go along, as we might too. Not easy putting 'em back.
Man I'm jealous, looks like a nice fall day to work in the woods there. . I spent two days plowing a trail in my woods just so I could go skid out 3 trees to cut up on my mill because my 4-wheel drive tractor wouldn't go in the deep snow.
My goodness you must have some serious snow on the ground!! You got er done though, getting those logs out.
Would you leave a link to Ben's channel so that we can support him as well?
You guys have accomplished so much already! I'm really looking forward to seeing how this area develops!! Thanks for all the great videos!
We are really excited to see the final results, have 2 more videos coming that show the progression till the first area is finished. Looks like a completely different area, healthy looking.
Great video! It speaks to me because we are working on the same stuff. I hope you continue focusing on forestry related subjects, I would love to see a more in-depth of “Cut/don’t Cut” series. Great job and thank you!!!!
Thanks for the update on your silvopasture development. I'd sure like to see the end product once you're finished.
Great work. Creating silvopasture is so important but hard work since it’s primarily done by hand since most areas are too thick and/or too steep to hire a bloke with skid loader and saw blade. Typically I work alone but two chainsaws in case I get one hung up. Older I get though, I’m losing my nerve to fell those big trees.
I thought I was the only one who brought two saws to the woods in case I got one caught in a tree😊 Be safe out there Tauna!
@@gregjudyregenerativerancher thanks - you guys be safe as well!
Gonna be interesting to see how this spot improves. The amount of sunlight you are letting in should have grass growing in no time. Thanks again have a wonderful weekend.
Thanks, George, for your chainsaw work that day!
@@gregjudyregenerativerancher My pleasure, glad I was able to make it down. I had a great time at Green Pastures Farm!
I would take those co-doms or "twins" as you call them. They are much more likely to be damaged in an ice storm or get water between the trunks and suffer from rot as a result, especially after you have opened up the canopy. In commercial forestry they are one of the first to go in order to improve stand health.
They will end up on the sawmill eventually
Looks awesome Greg! Love the progress.
Why can’t I watch the first part of this video? It won’t play? I follow your videos daily, I usually keep 2-3 up my sleeve. I’ve been watching for several years from Australia and find your videos very interesting and informative. But this one won’t play?
Not sure why??
Looking great! And safety is everything when felling trees. Noticed the many 3 to 6 foot tiny sapplings and wondering what y'all do on those? Great video and great progess!
Might consider running a fire through the leaf litter periodically. It would at least top kill the seedlings. Lack of fire is why it got so overstocked in the first place.
@@johnortmann3098 Greg Judy said below, "No we will not burn off the leaves. That is organic ground cover that will add to more healthy soil building. If you burn it, you lost a ton of good organic material that will feed your soil microbes."
You may want to re-consider if you have animals (sheep/goats) that can feed on the undergrowth before it gets back out of hand.
@@johnthomas6895 OK, let's talk soil science.
1. Soil organic matter is mostly produced in the soil from root material. Plant debris on the surface has little to do with it.
2. A given soil in a given environment will only hold so much organic carbon. Adding more speeds up microbial action that reduces it to its maximum level. Meanwhile, it's tying up a lot of soil nitrogen, making it unavailable for plant growth. Burning off the leaf litter also quickly mineralizes other nutrients, making it plant available.
3. In contrast, adding biochar (charcoal) to soil can be done indefinitely as it's not subject to microbial action. While increasing water-holding and ion exchange capacity, the biochar will remain essentially forever, permanently sinking its carbon content, which as per #2, organic carbon can't do.
Finally, I didn't say to burn it annually, just periodically, enough to hold down the sprouts. Your suggestion of using goats is also a good one, as they would certainly hammer the brush.
We've been thinning out a heavily cramped English oak stand for the past 2 winters some saw logs coming out at 3ft wide 28ft long. They certainly make a racket when they hit the deck. Looking forward to seeing how the stand develops over my lifetime.
My gosh, that is one heck of tree? I bet it shakes the ground when it hits!!!
@@gregjudyregenerativerancher we are only taking about 10 percent out in total. Will start running the sheep through during the growing season.
You said you were going to get some cow poop among those trees. I remember you saying cows around trees can kill them. I also remember your cattle shading under trees. I am curious about the happy middle.
Large cow herds that stay under one tree for shade for 3-4 days in a row can kill oak trees. Our cows will be under the trees for 8-12 hours 4-5 times a year. That is the difference.
@@gregjudyregenerativerancher Thank you for taking the time.
What's Ben's channel?
ua-cam.com/users/AROUNDTHEPINT
I’m curious if you ever use prescribed fire?
@Sean Balch - No, he doesn’t. He has his cows trample it into the soil, which feeds the soil, which makes better grass, healthier cows, keeps more rainwater in the soil, preventing erosion.
Hi Greg,
Why do you keep the ones that branch into two or three trunks?
Those trees will be milled in the near future.
Even those small oaks most likely same age as the biggest ones believe it or not.
You are correct, to many trees, not enough space and sunlight.
What happens if you inoculated the stumps with shiitake spawn? Would it take or would the ground dwelling fungi out compete?
It might work, the problem arrives when they start fruiting. You need to have your inoculated logs close to your daily travel so that you can check on fruiting status. If their randomly scattered around the woods on the back 40, you will miss most of your mushroom fruiting. The work and cost is getting everything inoculated, make sure you can reap the harvest😊😊😊
Do you cut the small brush down or just put hay over top of it?
Unroll hay over the top of it
Are the stumps left to rot away? Or will you pull them out? How high above ground level do you leave them?
Cut off at ground level
Do you use the brush for erosion control in the gullies?
What's the spacing you aim for between trees?
Yes, brush packed tight in draws can slow down water from heavy rains. You need enough space to get sunlight down to the ground on all 4 sides of the tree. That spacing is around 50-60 feet.
Just curious if this your own farm or long term lease? Adding 3 acres with a few days work is another grazing day solved.
It is our lifetime lease farm. Land is selling in this area for $6000 per acre. Three acres of grazing land added from previous unproductive brush is equals to $18000. Not bad wages for 4-5 days of work.
Cant wait to keep seeing the progress here. Question though, might be a dumb one to ask you but I have to ask lol. Once all done an cleaned up will you burn off the leafs or just cover up the leafs with hay??
No we will not burn off the leaves. That is organic ground cover that will add to more healthy soil building. If you burn it, you lost a ton of good organic material that will feed your soil microbes.
Is it worth it to bushhog the leaves to speed up break down
@@matthewmatiasek1777 Manure, hooves, rain will compost them.
What is a chitoci log?
It is spelled Shiitaki. They are mushrooms that grow on logs that we cut from the silvopasture project. The logs are inoculated by us after being cut for 2 weeks minimum. You cannot use dead trees to grow shiitaki mushrooms, they need to be green alive trees when cut. It is best to cut them after the leaves have fallen off in the fall.
Six or seven hours of THREE saws cutting in there. It's going to be a bit slower here, me with no interns... But today is a great day for it. Greg how long will you shiitake logs remain viable for inoculation? I have friends farming mushrooms, and I'm contributing wood for their effort. As they are new to it, they're trying to go by the book. I know you have more experience than many books. What says ye with regard to how much delay is too much for mushroom logs to be "seeded". Thanks.
Once the logs are cut, they need a minimum of 14 days to cure before applying spawn. Do not leave them sitting longer than 30 days without putting spawn in them. There are wild fungi spores floating around in the air looking for wood to make a home in!! If you inoculate a log that already has wild spore living in it, your shiitake production will be dramatically lower in that log. Possibly no production at all, the wild fungi kicked out your spores!!
You may already know, but shiitake eat sap wood better than heartwood.
@@swamp-yankee that is correct and also the reason we use mostly limb wood for logs. Trunks have to much heartwood in them.
@@gregjudyregenerativerancher From my ridge property, wild oysters dominate. I can simply ring (kill) the Ailanthus (invasive similar to Sumac) and they start sprouting oysters (which I like). Thanks for the info. Morels will be coming soon. I was able to sell some of those last season.
@@wadepatton2433 Oyster mushrooms are awesome. They grow around us on dead hickory trees.
Hey Greg couple questions! What do you use for keeping the stumps from growing back? Also, I'm in north florida/ Georgia area. What trees do I use for post? I have white oak that I'm harvesting now, it's super thick and sandy. Trying to thin and get sunlight as well.
Do not use oak trees for posts, they rot off in 5-8 years. Hedge trees are the best, followed by Mulberry, Black Locust.
@@gregjudyregenerativerancher and these can be grown in north florida?
@@gregjudyregenerativerancher "hedge trees" = osage orange, (bois d'arc tree)?
Once cleared out, how long do you expect it to take before you can use this area for grazing? I have a similar piece of property and would like to convert it to silvopasture, but wasn't sure what timeline to expect.
This year we will park the cattle in this area for 30 minutes to an hour at 1 million lbs per acre. We will put out a few 100 lb bales of hay to let them have something to chew on. We are focused on getting the mob effect of trampling on the ground litter into smaller pieces and invigorating the existing seed bank. We will repeat this process 4-5 times this year. This next winter we will be unrolling hay in there to introduce more carbon and seed.
😎✌👍👌🖖🤓
🐊🦅🇵🇷👍