Expert: Richard Clark - 7/19/2009

Question
I am clearing 20 acres of medium growth forest for pasture. I do not want to bulldoze the stumps until they are fairly rotten to not disturb the topsoil. How do I economically speed up the decaying process of the roots?

Answer
Doug
What kind of trees do you have? If they are of a soft wood they will decompose faster than hard wood. The best way I found was to drill 1/2 holes around the stump. This lets water in and and will speed up the process. Later you can burn them out. If they are dry even the roots will burn. Before burning check the county burning code. Do Not burn when there might be a chance of the fire spreding. It takes awhile but it will work.
Richard