Rhododendron/clearing saw.

[trialscot]

Hi,

We have a fair area of rhoddies to deal with, many bushes are too high to spray but much too thin for stem injection.

It's got to be manual work due to the terrain. Has anyone had experience of using a clearing saw to cut this stuff then mulch it with a mulching blade and spraying the regrowth?.

I feel that burning could be dodgy as it is part of a very big natural regen. scheme.

[outdoorjoe]

this one? : BBC News - Fifty-year-old red squirrel conservation project ends if not sounds like theyve done alot of what you are doing if you could somehow get in touch!

[slack ma girdle]

from the delightful memories i have of clearing rhoddie the last time, a chainsaw was the most effective becuase the stems are normally so badly twisted/ knotted together you very rarely get to fell anything. Better still is a 3 ton digger with wide metal tracks and a grab, that feeds a big shredder. That will save a bit of sweat on your brow

[Lumberjack Pad]

Wouldnt even bother trying with a clearing saw if its that size stuff. Chainsaw, mash it up, walk away, spray next year!!

[Chris Sheppard]

Like the others have said - chainsaw is best way we've found too.

[trialscot]

Many thanks for responses.

We've chainsawed and burned a lot over the past 8 years, and stem injected the big ones as well.

Just thought it would be a welcome relief to be able to cut standing up for a change!.

C/saw pad - mashing seems to be called for, if a fire got away on this bit we'd be hung.

Edited September 30, 2011 by trialscot
addition

[posch jon]

Get a 3 ton digger with a rake on it, blitzes it! and you get the roots out, much quicker equivalent to 3 men and chainsaws.

We have been doing some and it does a great job.