Removing brambles from woodland floor

Floody Boreland

One of these might work...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Br1ZPJ8oQxY

ford2600

Floody Boreland wrote: »

One of these might work...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Br1ZPJ8oQxY

Can't see that going wrong in a forest..

Floody Boreland

ford2600 wrote: »

Can't see that going wrong in a forest..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5HNHUGCFZw

Taltos

Big seller in California last year....

On a random note, any colleges or similar near you? They might entertain a project for weed control using various methods if they map out the woodland and try a variety of different ways of encouraging local flora and fauna.

80sDiesel

Floody Boreland wrote: »

One of these might work...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Br1ZPJ8oQxY

Will be getting something similar when I will be creating a stale seed bed for my wildflower meadow.

my3cents

Floody Boreland wrote: »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5HNHUGCFZw

Fairly useless but great for getting a bonfire going.

I've had three of them over the years and even had the wheeled carriage useful for burning off small weeds on gravel drives and paving and thats about it.

Tried them on brambles and a waste of time unless you have a massive old patch with a lot of dead brambles but then a couple of sheets of newspaper would also do the job.

Edit>That may be a bit harsh they do sort of work but its a lot of effort for the rewards gained and they are smelly.

my3cents

80sDiesel wrote: »

Will be getting something similar when I will be creating a stale seed bed for my wildflower meadow.

Just take off the topsoil and use it somewhere else in the garden, the one thing that wildflowers suffer from is good soil because along with it comes far too much competition.

The burning off is however very good for growing primulas think thats to do with the increase in potash from the burning.

80sDiesel

my3cents wrote: »

Just take off the topsoil and use it somewhere else in the garden, the one thing that wildflowers suffer from is good soil because along with it comes far too much competition.

The burning off is however very good for growing primulas think thats to do with the increase in potash from the burning.

Yep I intend to take off the top soil and leave for 2 years to get a stale seed bed. But I was going to burn then any weeds which will pop up during those years.

forestnewbeee

Sorry for the late post. How are you getting on removing them? I have been battling brambles for 3 years now with a machete, fork & weedy. I have 27 acres so have just stuck to the paths for now. After cutting down with machete I cleared the ground and dug up the roots with a fork. In the more wild areas they were cut back with a machine then the same process with the fork. It has been time consuming but the brambles have not grown back in the path after 3 years. You could get your self some wooffers or volunteers to give you a hand also. When we bought our place the bramble were up to my head (5'2). It takes time and patience but you will clear them im looking at getting goats this year to clear some of the other areas.

Blackcurrants

Hi OP,
How about a "goat on a rope"? Tied to a stake in the ground and moved periodically to remove the worst of the brambles. Trouble is they will eat everything inc your sycamore seedlings which are probably your best bet to control the brambles. If you go down the grant aid route you should bare in mind that you may have to control/remove all non-native species which can be expensive even with the grant. I have found that a chainsaw is excellent (if a bit tough on the back ) to remove the worst of the large brambles as you can use it for most cutting angles with ease and is very accurate. If you have a bramble problem you should consider controlling the amount of light getting to the woodland floor. Forestry is a slow old business and you can get yourself and the wood into bother if you try and rush anything too much with the use of chemicals or big machines. Having said that the most effective way we've found to manage our extensive bramble problems is to tickle the soil surface with a mini-digger and remove the brambles into heaps. Mark the small trees you want to keep or areas where there is lots of saplings and work that area by hand as the damage you can do with a machine can be extensive (i'd use a slasher for this ). We tend to only do with when we want to get some planting done within the wood or encourage regeneration in an area with enough light (we try to get the wood to self seed if there is a chance of success). Choose your battles because 9/10 the brambles are going to win, perhaps concentrate on maintaining access and controlling the light, which will eventually suppress the brambles. Hazel is also great for managing brambles and is gorgeous in a wood and encourages lost of wildlife.
Best of luck!
BC

NABLOSE

Pigs do a great Job, they even give rushes a hard life, goats brilliant as well, you will need fencing.

looksee

Thanks for all the replies. I am not much further forward with the brambles as too many other things have intervened, including moving house. I am looking at one of these https://www.agrieuro.co.uk/brush-cutters-strimmers/wheeled-strimmers-trimmer-mowers-c-3_285.html though there only seems to be the one company supplying them and all their reviews are in other languages. Has anyone had any experience of them? (the standard carried brush strimmer would be too heavy for the people doing most of the work).

timfromtang

looksee wrote: »

Thanks for all the replies. I am not much further forward with the brambles as too many other things have intervened, including moving house. I am looking at one of these https://www.agrieuro.co.uk/brush-cutters-strimmers/wheeled-strimmers-trimmer-mowers-c-3_285.html though there only seems to be the one company supplying them and all their reviews are in other languages. Has anyone had any experience of them? (the standard carried brush strimmer would be too heavy for the people doing most of the work).

@looksee,
An Idea comes to mind concerning your brambles on paths at least.



Perhaps recruit some folk to help in a mutually beneficial way?


For example, Would some folk from a local riding club like a forest path network on which to ride their horses for recreation? If so perhaps they'd agree to help with establishing and maintaining the paths in return for the rights of access and use?
it'd perhaps be nicer than a noisy expensive petrol tool?
you'd have some folk who also have an interest in keeping the forest looking nice to help you?


tim

looksee

Nice idea tim, except that one of the issues at the moment is that paths that are shown on maps from the 1830s were totally destroyed last winter by horses (local info is a local hunt) and its going to be a major job remaking some of them as they are not really all that machinery accessible. Its not really the paths that are the problem, its wide expanses of low brambles between the trees. I will try and put up a pic, but really it would just be 'brambles yesterday'

my3cents

looksee wrote: »

Nice idea tim, except that one of the issues at the moment is that paths that are shown on maps from the 1830s were totally destroyed last winter by horses (local info is a local hunt) and its going to be a major job remaking some of them as they are not really all that machinery accessible. Its not really the paths that are the problem, its wide expanses of low brambles between the trees. I will try and put up a pic, but really it would just be 'brambles yesterday'

Can you get a farmer with a roller just to drive along the paths. Only saying that as we used to have to get our drive rolled if the hunt came past the big sign saying HUNT NOT ALLOWED BEYOND THIS POINT. The problem was the verges and center became all kicked up and you couldn't get a mower over them.

So what’s your thoughts on pigs?

Fence off area. Get farmer with pigs to deliver said pigs_ job done.