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When using an ax, steel toe boots are a must, and eye protection is also recommended. A few years ago, the neighbor had a sugar maple that was growing on the property line (two, 10" diameter trunks growing from the same base, maybe twenty five or thirty feet tall). She gave me permission to cut it down, and I did everything smaller than about six inch diameter with a simple tree saw and pruning sheers over the course of a few days. A lot of it was growing amidst the power lines, and it was a little technical getting it down, I used a lot of pull ropes with gravity weights, and small cuts to make sure it came down safely. When it came to the "trunks" I broke down and bought a small electric chain saw and made quick work of it, I would have had arms like Popeye by the time I finished the job with a hand saw. And I was in my late 50's at the time, a young guy should be able to go through a forest faster than a pack of beavers. But do it safely!
If you have money to buy something like an Uprooter, consider doing so. The Weed Wrench - which this is the successor of - is just a miracle of a tool. Using lever mechanics, you can pull saplings OUT, roots and all. It's extremely satisfying and fun to use!
I see some folks did not thoroughly read the OP’s entire post, when they mentioned chainsaws
The young person is just that - 17. The father has a chainsaw but the young person doesn’t know how to run it. That’s a good thing as I’ve seen bad accidents with experienced users.
So getting back to manual cutting suggestions - OP is there any chance your parents would invest in a bowsaw? I’m in agreement with those who suggested a bowsaw - it works very well and is safe.
As yet someone else mentioned, hauling the cut stuff to the burn pile and getting the root out might be the bigger deal
Since you would be cutting small diameter trees, I’m wondering if a mix of salt, white vinegar, and Dawn dish soap might work, to kill the roots, but it would have to be very strong. We tried it this year on the driveway weeds and along the back yard chain link fence, and it works.
I can’t remember the recipe - I’d have to go digging, if that might interest you
P.S. You’re a Good Kid to want to do this for your mom.
Sawzall..... use it all the time for cutting smaller stuff up to about 4 inches. If I was cutting a lot of stuff that big I'd get the chainsaw out but for handful of cuts it's not worth gassing the chainsaw. I once used it to cut something about 8 inches across but only because I didn't have the chainsaw.
As far as the stumps go leave about 4 or 5 feet on top. Attach nylon strap to the top and other end to hitch on the truck. Give it some gas and let off the gas, let the weight of the truck do the work. Might take while but stuff that is 2 to 3 inches around can usually be yanked out of the ground with enough nudges.
For small saplings and branches, I’ve settled on using a Fiskars Pull Saw, fast and easy. It’s similar to this one but not a “pro” model as this says. I think I paid less than $20 for mine...but that was some time ago.
I intend to restore some territory on my mom's/uncle's land to the River Cane brakes. I know of a patch of forest where most of the trees are quite small (~20ft tall), but I was slow to cut them when preparing for our pine grove despite similarly small size. The river cane is native rather than invasive, and things like Center Hill Lake and urban sprawl have destroyed many of the original canebrakes; plus, I like the look of them and know mom does too.
Any tips on how to speed up the cutting process for small trees? Thanks for any help!
Side note: Most trees here are hardwoods (ugh!), and these are no exception despite their small size. However, if I encounter a standalone bigger tree in the area I'll probably leave it; they'd be more dangerous and even slower to cut, I don't want to release more CO2 by cutting a massive tree, and I'd still rather our bamboo forest look more like the bamboo jungles of Minecraft than a complete can thicket.
P.S.: I'll be 17 in a few months and still have no idea how to work a chainsaw. Dad's busy and doesn't have the best one anyways.
If these are "trash trees" instead of cutting them down use a "Farmers Jack" and a length of chain or cable to pull them up by the roots. YouTube has several videos showing just how to go about it. The following video shows how to pull a stump. Same thing for a small tree.
Hardwood and fruit trees should be nurtured. They can be very useful given time.
I grew up on the prairies of CO/KS/NE and trees are revered. Just remember it takes a few seconds to destroy a tree that may have taken decades or even centuries to grow.
I intend to restore some territory on my mom's/uncle's land to the River Cane brakes. I know of a patch of forest where most of the trees are quite small (~20ft tall), but I was slow to cut them when preparing for our pine grove despite similarly small size. The river cane is native rather than invasive, and things like Center Hill Lake and urban sprawl have destroyed many of the original canebrakes; plus, I like the look of them and know mom does too.
Any tips on how to speed up the cutting process for small trees? Thanks for any help!
Side note: Most trees here are hardwoods (ugh!), and these are no exception despite their small size. However, if I encounter a standalone bigger tree in the area I'll probably leave it; they'd be more dangerous and even slower to cut, I don't want to release more CO2 by cutting a massive tree, and I'd still rather our bamboo forest look more like the bamboo jungles of Minecraft than a complete can thicket.
P.S.: I'll be 17 in a few months and still have no idea how to work a chainsaw. Dad's busy and doesn't have the best one anyways.
A cheap chainsaw can be dangerous and refilling the oil tank is a pain. For less than $150 you can buy a pretty good sawsall. I've used Makita and Dewalt and I am happy with them. You can buy blades that are up to 12 inches long and will take apart a small tree in seconds. If the trees are a long distance from a power source, I recommend a battery operated sawsall. If you go with a corded model and have a generator you are only limited to the length of the extension cord.
Don't forget eye protection. Longer blades can snap and go in any direction at speed.
Sawzall..... use it all the time for cutting smaller stuff up to about 4 inches. If I was cutting a lot of stuff that big I'd get the chainsaw out but for handful of cuts it's not worth gassing the chainsaw. I once used it to cut something about 8 inches across but only because I didn't have the chainsaw.
As far as the stumps go leave about 4 or 5 feet on top. Attach nylon strap to the top and other end to hitch on the truck. Give it some gas and let off the gas, let the weight of the truck do the work. Might take while but stuff that is 2 to 3 inches around can usually be yanked out of the ground with enough nudges.
I started using mine out of necessity, was the only tool I had.
Then adding a 12" pruning blade allowed for larger projects.
Definitely safer for minors than hatchets and axes.
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