Invasive Bush-honeysuckle: Mechanical Removal (pt. 1) - My Tools and Gear - Overview of What You May Need

3 months ago
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This video begins the "Invasive Bush-Honeysuckle Removal" series. I am going to go over some of the gear that I use for my operations of the mechanical removal method. Links for the tools and gear I use will be provided below. I tend to use Stihl brand for my motorized equipment because they have always given me a lot of output and little if any trouble. I also tend to have more service providers and suppliers nearby wherever I am working. If you have another brand you prefer just swap it out with a comparable model.

Please share any tips you may have also learned when tackling this type of work.

Stihl:
Chainsaw - MS 271 "Farmboss":
https://www.stihlusa.com/products/chain-saws/farm-and-ranch-saws/ms271/

Brushsaw/Trimmer:
Showcased in Video - Kombimotor KM 131R (no longer found on their website. This is a little underbuilt for the work I am doing in the large tracks. Based on experience, I would advize either changing to the fixes shaft FS 131R (to remove the chance of the connection point breaking) or upgrading to a model made to handle the chisel blade for forestry work which is the FS 251R and buy the deflector that is made for that blade.
https://www.stihlusa.com/products/trimmers-and-brushcutters/professional-trimmers/fs251r/?aqid=0c63c528eadd6095ea53fae0fc4cd5f7

You can find a link to their blade selection chart on that link as well.

Pullerbear Pro XL
https://www.pullerbear.com/index.html

Tordon RTU:
https://www.forestrydistributing.com/tordon-rtu-specialty-herbicide-corteva

Caution!!** whenever using any herbicide, please follow all label instructions and wear protective gear.

I personally do not like using any chemicals when possible, but this job does seem to require at least some use. I am striving to minimize all use of these herbicides in my own work because I understand that the more we put into the environment, the more contaminated we make that environment (including potential groundwater contamination). I am hoping to pursue potential research on using other methods to control bush honeysuckle after the initial cutting (such as goats and/or controlled burns) to see their success rate and plan to make videos on those projects once I am able to obtain projects that will allow for that method to be used.

Sorry for the major fluxes in sound levels. My mic wasn’t seemingly on, or malfunctioned, and failed to pick up my voice. Instead my phone mic was capturing it so whenever I turned the phone away or turned my head it got very muted. I tried my best to fix it in the video editor but there is only so much that can do it so many little pieces. Lol. Hopefully the next video sound quality comes out better.

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