Flat Cleared Land question

Discussion in 'General chat' started by UpCycleQueen, Feb 5, 2010.

  1. UpCycleQueen

    UpCycleQueen Junior Member

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    Hey there everyone

    We are considering buying a 10 acre parcel of land in Tassie which has recently been logged. Every single tree removed.

    My question is, for them to remove the tree stumps, I can only imagine all the top soil would go with it? The land is in a handy area, but they've logged and the ground now just has patchy grass. 10 acres is a lot of soil rehabilitation !! Especially if we are making sacrifices to buy it. The only thing going for it is proximity to a major town. The rainfall isn't that spectacular, around 750mm per year, and it is totally flat.

    A penny for your thoughts?
     
  2. kimbo.parker

    kimbo.parker Junior Member

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    i would call 750 mm of annual rain fall pretty spectacular.
    on the plus side, this is precisely the sort of place for human habitat......no food or forest production sacrificed for settlement.....degraded as the block may be, you have carte blanche....
    truly the venue for a customised forest.
    bomb the joint with what ever local acacia, such that soil manufacture is part of the plan.....take it from there........750mm dam that is a lot of rain,,,,try 350mm.

    10 acres is an odd size for a property; what you going to do there? will the permaculture underwrite a broader ambition for the place,,,like ?
    still with that much rain fall 'what couldn't you do there?...if i got that much rain fall i'd be building an ark.
    cheers,
    kimbo
     
  3. pebble

    pebble Junior Member

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    Location:
    inland Otago, NZ
    Climate:
    Inland maritime/hot/dry/frosty
    I agree, 750mm rain per year is fine to work with.

    What kind of trees were felled? Why would you remove the stumps? What grows in the area, especially what grows wild?


    Really? Then why are you looking at buying it? There must be other things about it that are appealing to you if you seriously want to live there.


    Nature will do most of the work rehabilitating the land. You just need to get smart about what to initiate and when. How familiar are you with permaculture design and practice?
     
  4. UpCycleQueen

    UpCycleQueen Junior Member

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    Thanks for your replies :)

    I appreciate your feedback re the rainfall.

    Yes, the only appealing thing is the close proximity to a town. Other than that it is a square, naked, unappealing block.

    The question I REALLY need answered is "Does logging remove the top soil in the process of uprooting and removing the trees".

    That's what I really need to know.

    I don't know anything about what trees were on it, but from the picture there are no stumps visible.

    If anyone can answer, I would be really grateful :)
     
  5. pebble

    pebble Junior Member

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    Location:
    inland Otago, NZ
    Climate:
    Inland maritime/hot/dry/frosty
    Ah, ok, the stumps have already been removed. How strange (I don't think they bother to do that here for forestry but I could be wrong). Maybe the previous owner was going to plant something else? I don't know the answer to your question, but I'd guess it would depend on how many trees there were, what the soil is like, and who did the removing and how. You could phone a couple of contractors and ask what the usual process is.

    The things I'd be wanting to know about the land are: what were the trees (ask the neighbours/locals)? This is important because some trees cause more problems than loss of some topsoil (I'm thinking gums in particular). I'd be doing my own soil investigations. There's been some good threads recently on things you can do yourself in terms of understanding the soil. You want this whether there's been top soil loss or not.

    I'd also want to know how the land was managed eg was there alot of spraying?
     
  6. UpCycleQueen

    UpCycleQueen Junior Member

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    You raise some excellent points there Pebble. Really good food for thought. Thank you. I will do some investigating :)
     
  7. ecodharmamark

    ecodharmamark Junior Member

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    G'day UpCycleQuenn

    Welcome to the PRI Forum.

    Much to consider when purchasing land - for many, it's the largest outlay of capital one will employ in one's lifetime - so it is very important that you consider all of the factors before signing on the dotted line.

    Following on from the excellent advice previously offered by our very learned colleagues, here's a few more things to ponder:

    Does the land have a clear title?

    Will planning permission be granted for any 'improvements' you may wish to undertake?

    Did the clear-felling extend to neighboring properties? If so, will you be sharing your new location with other 'blockies'? If not, is wildfire a risk?

    Many (commercial) clear-felling forest activities in Tasmania extend to chemical retardation of regrowth. Is this the case with your intended purchase?

    How far is the block from (essential?) services?

    A good read for anyone contemplating the purchase of a rural 'lifestyle' block is:

    Buying Your Bush Block (2001)

    Good luck with that. Don't forget to let us know how you get on.

    Cheerio, Marko.
     
  8. UpCycleQueen

    UpCycleQueen Junior Member

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    Wow, thank you sooo much !! Great info, and great link !
     

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