Doug Robertson

Smoke from burning was one of my concerns when looking at my options for the trees i was cutting down. I read it could be an issue. I am hoping the longer it sits and drys maybe the less impact there might be if I try something like biochar. So far I've tried hugels and banana circles and just left it in brush piles. I may try to rent a chipper and go through some of the piles this winter once it cools off some.

I know what what you mean about the challenge of cutting them down. The branches are twisted in every direction and to add to the fun we have grape vines growing in the trees to add another level of difficulty in getting then to fall where you plan. For a small tree one needs to use an abundance of caution when trying to get them on the ground.

The tree seems to hold a high percentage of water; more so than any other tree i've messed with. We've learned just to cut them and let them sit there for a few months (if they weren't in the way) and once dryed out some they were much lighter to handle (but it seems a little harder to cut).

I don't seem to notice any problems with the skin reaction with the dried out wood so I was wondering if dried wood chips would pose any problems with phytotoxicity (not sure if the two issues are related).

I've been able to kill most stumps with an application of herbicide if I can get on within about 5 minutes of the cut. But some stumps are still trying to hang on. I'll have to try your method.

Thanks for the info.

Doug

I am working with a piece of property in East Central Florida that was an old orange grove and was overgrown with Brazilian Pepper trees. I cleared a lot of pepper trees out to plant some new trees (citrus, peach, plum, apple, mango, lychee, pineapple). Now I have piles of brush and I am considering options for their uses. Some of the logs are a foot in diameter or so but most are less than 4-6 inches. I've read about biochar, hugelkultur, and wood chip covering. Anyone out there have any experience with Brazilian Pepper Trees and these methods? The trees have a substance like poison ivy when freshly cut. Is this an issue for reusing them in or on the ground or does aging eliminate any problems with that. The brush piles are well aged.

Also, does anyone have any experience with getting chipped wood from a tree service and then getting Brazilian Pepper Tree in the load? Is there much of an issue with new trees growing from the mulch?

Thanks in advance for any help.

Doug