4 Tips for Cleaning Up Your Forested Property Before Winter Arrives

That fall chill is in the air, and depending on where you live, you may have already seen the season’s first snowfall. Old Man Winter is well on his way, and the last thing landowners want is to be caught off-guard by his arrival. 

3 Point Wood Chipper

When it comes to managing forested acreage, there are a few things we all must do before temperatures plummet and snow starts to accumulate. Taking a proactive approach will help ensure that your property stays healthy, and that you don’t encounter any unexpected hazards or hiccups.

Getting it all done before the snow flies may seem like a tall order, but with the right gear—like a chainsaw, 3 point wood chipper, and your ATV—you can complete these vital tasks with time to spare and enjoy winter.

Here are the four things every landowner should do to prepare forested acreage for winter.

Mill Down Timber or Log It for Firewood

If there are fallen trees on your property, you know they’ll only be usable for so long before they begin to rot. Most of us aren’t content to let quality timber go to waste, which is why a portable bandsaw mill is such a superb investment for folks managing forested acreage.

Milling fallen timber doesn’t just save you from paying lumber yard prices. It also gives you control over which logs you use and the ability to make precise cuts for truly outstanding boards.

If you aren’t interested in milling or need fuel for the fire, log those fallen trees, throw them into your offroad ATV trailer, and stack them. Then, cover them with a tarp so they can dry to be used as firewood next year.

Chip Fallen Branches and Dead Brush

We all like a clean work area, and that sense of tidiness extends to the rest of our property, to one degree or another. You don’t want to remove Mother Nature from the equation entirely, but removing dead undergrowth and fallen branches is part of fostering a healthy forest.

If you’ve never used a PTO chipper before, you’ll be glad to learn there’s no better way to dispose of organic forest debris on a sizable piece of property. PTO wood chippers attach to your tractor and don’t require an external power source, so they’re efficient and easy to transport, which will save you all kinds of time this fall.

Prune Trees

While some trees make great firewood or lumber for woodworking projects, there are others that you’d like to keep standing because they’re part of your homestead’s character. So, before winter shows up on your doorstep, take the time to prune them.

By pruning dead limbs, you can keep your vital trees healthy for years to come. Plus, these limbs often make decent firewood, which allows you to save other timber for property improvement or woodworking projects.

Finish All the Maintenance and Repairs Possible

Sure, we’d all like to avoid frostbite on our fingers, but that isn’t the only reason to complete as much maintenance and repair work as possible across your property before winter shows up.

Winter’s a physically challenging season for us, our pets, and even our gear. If you have machinery or equipment that needs a new gasket, is developing rust, or requires other attention, the cold and moisture tend to turn these minor issues into massive headaches by the time winter is through.

So, it pays to get as far ahead as possible on both preventative maintenance and repairs while you have time. Because once winter is here, everything becomes that much more difficult.

About Woodland Mills

After hiring a local sawyer to mill fallen trees on his property, Josh Malcolm decided he needed his own sawmill. But in searching for the right portable bandsaw mill, he found that the new models were too expensive, while used mills didn’t offer the performance he needed. So, Malcolm called his childhood friend Neil Bramley and asked, “We can just build our own, can’t we?” That was the beginning of Woodland Mills. Now, Woodland Mills is globally recognized as the go-to for independent sawyers, hobbyist woodworkers, and landowners looking for the industry’s best-valued forestry products. From the flagship HM126 sawmill bandsaw to the new HM136MAX, the new TF810 PRO PTO Wood Chipper, the Pathlander ATV log trailer, and much more, Woodland Mills delivers the capability you need at an attainable price point with world-class customer service.

Manage acreage with the best-valued products from Woodland Mills at https://woodlandmills.com/