Hand Clearing

[Guest]

Removed by me

Edited by - akoniv on 10/16/2007 19:06:34

[toucano]

Been there. Done that. I hand cleared .2 acre by hand and THEN had a backhoe selectively rip for the building pad, driveway, and install the septic.

My advice is:

get a good supply of the thick licorice type weed-trimmer line - you WILL need it.

wear gloves and tuck-in shirt and pant legs into boots (to avoid centipede encounters).

lopping-shears are nice to cut pranches into convenient length for hauling out.

It isn't as hard as it seems, but not something to be done in a weekend.

And you are right that you won't really know what the topography is like until you have it cleared. What looks flat may not be as flat as you thought it was.

[Rob Tucker]

It is possible to use a dozer with discretion. There are smaller dozers than D-9's. A D-3 or D-4 costs less per hour and can be fairly delicate with the right operator.

One such operator is Bob Hill in Leilani (965-9149). Bob had done good work for me and my clients and does not destroy everything in sight.

[PunaCat]

I was told when I first started cleaning up my lot (bulldozers had struck here long 'fore I laid eyes on the house) that in order to get rid of the strawberry guava, truly get rid of it, you needed to poison the trees as soon as you cut them.

I'm NOT an advocate of using poisons, but I understand that this seems to be the only way to defeat this particular invasive. I might also add that this advice came via Malama O' Puna, so it's pretty legitimate.

It was suggested to buy some Ortho Brush Be Gone, put it in an old shampoo bottle or such. Right after you cut the guava, squirt some of the poison on the open wound of the stump. The bottle allows you to direct the poison, and not over spray. Give them a week maybe, to soak it in down to the roots and then pull them out.

Be careful that any non - treated branches don't touch the ground, as they will quickly root and the process will start all over again.

I wish you well - be careful of your back! And stay hydrated. Toucano is right; pace yourself!

Puna Cat

[mella l]

Our lot looked mature and overgrown with nice canopy. When our D4 cat did a drive and punched into where we wanted the house pad, much was found. Many many downed trees were under the brush and canopy. It was amazing like a logging operation had gone thru years ago and just left all of the fall. Large long trees downed and not properly cleaned, cut, stacked and burned.

A neighbor who had been on island for many years stopped by for visit. He told us that apx 3o years ago or so a forest fire came thru from Pahoa all the way to Volcano and he believes all the downed trees we were having to deal with were from that time. Don't know but could be. We pushed all the rubble into a back corner of our lot and covered it with soil. Were lucky to have 6-8 inches of soil over our lava.

mella l

[PunaCat]

Oh Mella - I'm so jealous you have SOIL!!!!

[mella l]

Punacat as soon as our Kitty Chronicles have ended I will share some of this soil with girlfriends loving the soil. Oh no there goes my organic worm farm idea! LOL

mella l

[Carolann R]

I would be honored to take your dirt! LOL! Gotta cover some of those lava cinders up so my little Chuy can roll in the grass!



Carrie

"The opportunities to reach into the lives of others in an inspiring way arise in countless ways every single day..." Dr. Wayne W. Dyer

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