Shearing Cedars

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Interesting comments about cedars

Our cows live in the cedars all winter long. In fact back in the old days we did not even bother to provide a shelter for them. The bush was what they lived in when the wet, wind, snow and cold hit.

Even the the few cows we have left today spent the entire winter in the cedars here. And will have the ability to do the same in the summer if they choose - for some reason flies and cedar do not agree. One of the features that helped us decide to buy this place was the +/- 15 acre cedar bush to hold the cattle.

Never realized cedars are considered such a problem tree

Cheers
 
Bigfoot":1dqd7r14 said:
Here is the worst part about cutting a cedar off at the ground. I cut this cedar down about 25 years ago. It's sticking up about 2 inches. I've never hurt anything running accross it, but it'd been better if I'd have pulled it up. My little tractor just wouldn't do it at the time.
Bigfoot that one looks like it would roll out out with the old middle buster. But wait till you see the bottom side. When you pull those out make dang sure you you pick them up. The short sharp and hardened by time roots are like something engineered to ruin tires.
 
I've kept a cedar thicket just for shelter. The nuisance ones are just growing by themselves out in pasture.
 
Bigfoot":25qevljq said:
I've kept a cedar thicket just for shelter. The nuisance ones are just growing by themselves out in pasture.
I don't know what kind I have here, but cutting the little ones doesn't kill them. I mean the ones only about 1' high and 1/2" 'trunk" diameter. I have hundreds of those, and they are the only reason I still have a bush hog. Remedy will not kill them, tho I might be able to spot spray Reedy/diesel mix and do the trick. Grazon doesn't phase them either. I have way too many to do the pellet thing.
Would a propane burner kill the little ones?

Here, the bigger ones, the stump rots out pretty quick--no real red heart--they aren't suitable for posts at all.
 
I just don't think I have the patience to chain and pull the ones I have, though I am sure it is the best method for removal, here is the last really bad patch, probably a quarter to half acre, not a good pic. The other ones are clumped up here and there mostly under larger trees. Some crazy person planted row after row of white cedar on my place, they are almost all dead and worthless as anything since they don't make good fence posts, but that is a whole nuther matter, at least red cedar are good for something when they mature.
8358-cedar.jpg

8358-cedar2.jpg
 
greybeard":2k5cmgmt said:
Bigfoot":2k5cmgmt said:
I've kept a cedar thicket just for shelter. The nuisance ones are just growing by themselves out in pasture.
I don't know what kind I have here, but cutting the little ones doesn't kill them. I mean the ones only about 1' high and 1/2" 'trunk" diameter. I have hundreds of those, and they are the only reason I still have a bush hog. Remedy will not kill them, tho I might be able to spot spray Reedy/diesel mix and do the trick. Grazon doesn't phase them either. I have way too many to do the pellet thing.
Would a propane burner kill the little ones?

Here, the bigger ones, the stump rots out pretty quick--no real red heart--they aren't suitable for posts at all.

I don't have much luck spraying them either. I wet them with remedy any time I am out spot spraying, but it doesnt seem to kill them. Yellows them sometimes, but doesnt kill them. I just drive around with a 6 foot bushhog on the tractor. Straddle the cedar, and drop it on the ground as I go over.
 
Kell-inKY":2z61y84r said:
I just don't think I have the patience to chain and pull the ones I have, though I am sure it is the best method for removal, here is the last really bad patch, probably a quarter to half acre, not a good pic. The other ones are clumped up here and there mostly under larger trees. Some crazy person planted row after row of white cedar on my place, they are almost all dead and worthless as anything since they don't make good fence posts, but that is a whole nuther matter, at least red cedar are good for something when they mature.
8358-cedar.jpg

8358-cedar2.jpg


I could bushhog most of that. Be hard on equipment though. Drive around the biggest, and pull just those.
 
greybeard":f72x20c7 said:
Bigfoot":f72x20c7 said:
I've kept a cedar thicket just for shelter. The nuisance ones are just growing by themselves out in pasture.
I don't know what kind I have here, but cutting the little ones doesn't kill them. I mean the ones only about 1' high and 1/2" 'trunk" diameter. I have hundreds of those, and they are the only reason I still have a bush hog. Remedy will not kill them, tho I might be able to spot spray Reedy/diesel mix and do the trick. Grazon doesn't phase them either. I have way too many to do the pellet thing.
Would a propane burner kill the little ones?

Here, the bigger ones, the stump rots out pretty quick--no real red heart--they aren't suitable for posts at all.
I keep a small squirt bottle of pure strength remedy in the mule and a pair of loping sheers....cut it off and spray the top of hte cut with the remedy usually will kill the small ones....Most of ours are red ceder but we have another that the locals call "Pencil Cedar" which I assume is used for making pencils. I don't know of any other use for it as it's worthless for posts.

See a lot of large pastures out here being taken completely over by cedars and they get big and bushy at the bottom. Main thing bad about them is that nothing grow under them and they suck so much moisture out of the soil.
 
Red Bull Breeder":35yang4n said:
The main reason for there rapid spread is lack of fire. Fire plays heck with them.
Fire is the cedars kryptonite, many believe the cedars in texas are invasive species but they are are actually native, ash juniper is proper name for what we call cedar here. They have been around thousands of years growing on rocky ridges and hills were they were safe from wildfire, suppression of wildfire has allowed them to take millions of acres away.
 
You guys might want to try Tordon 22K in your spot sprayer. Make sure you add a surfactant. Some of the cedars have a waxy leaf that repels the poison. The surf will help.
I can't see where brush hogging would do any good. That seems to me that you are just putting off the inevitable unless you are just cutting them off to make it easier to spray.

Greybeard the burner might work. Controlled burn is a method some of the "experts" prefer.
 
fenceman":2a08s9p6 said:
Red Bull Breeder":2a08s9p6 said:
The main reason for there rapid spread is lack of fire. Fire plays heck with them.
Fire is the cedars kryptonite, many believe the cedars in texas are invasive species but they are are actually native, ash juniper is proper name for what we call cedar here. They have been around thousands of years growing on rocky ridges and hills were they were safe from wildfire, suppression of wildfire has allowed them to take millions of acres away.
They may be native but their invasive as he!! when they start taking over a pasture.
 

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