More info on the property - 400 acres, some flat, lots sloped. It's 95% pasture. There's no electric and I am starting fresh so have no tools, no ATV, no pickup, no tractor, no nuthin'. I can only guess that there are 1 or 2 cedars per acre, mostly spread out. They work their way up out of the gullies. I will be there in a week and will ask the rangeland specialist if the trees are small enough for prescribed fire to kill. Much of the acreage is undergrazed and covered in dried standing little bluestem, so those areas might burn hot enough to get the cedars. I'll ask her what works. Maybe NRCS will pay for it too.
Anne brings up a good point about what to do with all the cut trees. I'd love to chip most of them where they stand. Their trunks are generally 4-6" diameter so I'm guessing they are not much good structurally. They were used for fence on the property at some point, as some are still in the t-post fenceline. I need to go give a few of them a shove and see if they are rotted at the ground. Fence pride is a very real thing around here so I was astonished when I saw a cedar fence - the posts were set about every four feet. That's a lot of digging!
Tyler Ludens, how many trees are you clearing by hand, what size, and how long does it take you? Obviously, you don't get them all if you also hire it done, so you can't keep up?
Chris Kott, As wildfire is a real thing here no one would use cedar siding. I might use some for firewood but I would probably not make debris barrier fences on the prairie as I think that would be creating a fire hazard and asking for trouble. The trees that are in the gullies could definitely be left with a stump, limbed and laid on contour for erosion control.
Bryan Elliot, Good point about keeping up with the small ones. I've got nothing but spare time once I'm on the property. I hadn't thought about a weed eater. I'm on the edge of Lesser Prairie Chicken habitat so I will ask around about that. If I leave the trees where they drop, any idea how long til they decompose? Will chipping them kill pasture grasses?