Thanks for the reply. I neglected to mention that the ground right now is a lumpy mess of pine needles and cones from all the fir trees (which I don't mind) covering all sorts of debris that has been tossed back there over the decades. My husband and the previous owners used the wooded area as a place to toss old christmas trees or grass clippings, dead shrubs, you get the picture... It's also lumpy from clumps of clay that were dug up from other areas of our property and dumped back there. In my clearing, I've discovered a pair of pants, leftover lumber from the construstruction of our subdivision, dozens of beer bottles and cans, several cinder blocks, plastic tubing that went on for yards and yards (finally threw that in the trash!)... I guess that's more of what I was looking for in help with clearing out the area. It would be so nice to have a natural looking yard without the fear of tripping over an invisible stump or getting caught on a prickly vine. All of the fallen trees will remain along with as much of the pine needles and leaves. I'm just flustered over the number of invasive weeds that require constant spraying to keep down. Sorry for the awfully long posts.

We've done a good deal of clearing over the years. There is a big difference in stripping out an old growth forest and clearing out brush and "weed" trees. Most places, its natural for young growth to "burn out" occasionally. Sucker and colony trees, like Quaking Aspen, live mostly underground and will actually benefit from burning out the area and removing competition. We found that the best way to handle stumps is to dig a deep hole (think 10 feet at least) and to push all the trees and brush into the hole with the stumps. The "earth" walls of the hole will insulate the fire and create a much hotter fire than a surface burn. This will significantly improve how much the brush and stumps burn down and shield the heat from surrounding flora (a hot surface burn can kill trees more than 20 feet away). After the burn, fill in all but the top foot or so and compacting with the excavator bucket every couple of feet; then return the top soil and lightly compact. You will still get a depression over the next few years from the final decomposition. I prefer to surface burn everything, then bury the stumps more than 6 feet deep. I even out the ash pile with a box scraper, then disc the soil before planting. You need to bury the stumps below the frost line or else the frost may eventually return them to the surface before they fully compost. As far as brush, remember the 2-2-2 rule; any branch or stick 2 inches or less in diameter within 2 inches of the ground should be decomposed within 2 years. If you don't fully burn your brush pile, the decomposition may rob the soil of nitrogen and you won't get the growth you'd expect from deep rooted plants. You can tell if your having too much decomposition if you dig a post hole and it smells like manure. Just to be safe I would plant an nitrogen fixing cover crop the first year. Talk to your conservation office to make sure the plants you put in aren't invasive in your area. Even native plants can be invasive or bad for your goals if left unchecked. Also make sure you check with your local conservation people to see if there are any local disease problems to look out for. For example, I love black cherry and its a good conservation tree for North Iowa, but my particular area has a lot of a black knot fungus that makes it a poor choice for dense planting.

Merry Christmas !! I had just ordered Smart-pot in 10 gallon, only $9.97 from Amazon (free shipping). I'll buy 3 blueberry bushes this spring (Walmart sells them), put 2 in SmartPot, and 1 in the ground. Didn't know that I need 2 or more blueberry bushes to pollinate each other. Info. from About.com: " Fertilizing blueberries - Blueberries don’t like too much fertilizer. Twice a year in the early spring works well. For organic fertilizer try blood or cottonseed meal, or a fertilizer designed for acid loving plants. Blueberries need friends – To get your blueberries to fruit, you will need at least two blueberry plants for pollination, three plants is even better and they need to be placed relatively close together. Also it’s a good idea to grow a couple of different varieties of blueberries, because they will produce fruit at different times and extending your blueberry season. Protect your blueberries – While growing blueberries you’ll have few pests to worry about other than birds. To protect your fruit from feathered poachers, you can cover your bushes with a light sheet or netting, a few weeks before the berries are ripe." Sam: Do you protect your blueberries from birds? If I put Smart-pot right next to the patio, hopefully there's less pests. I re-post the info. that Bluegirl wrote on pine-fines to buy from Lowe's. I would need 1/4 pine fines with 3/4 potting soil to create the acidic soil for blueberries. Bluegirl in Texas wrote: "I think Amazon has the sulfate of potash for ~ $11 still. See if your Lowes carries the mix ours does. It's "HapiGro Landscape Mix", sold in a big clear bag for about four dollars. Almost pure pine fines to look at it. Here are some photos, the bag is kind of faded, it's a mostly clear bag with white on front. dry stuff inside--looks to be mostly fine pine bark with a nugget or two of perlite. THis is some moist stuff from inside a bucket--finger for size. Pictures & info. above are from Bluegirl in Texas. THANK YOU, Bluegirl, for allowing me to post your info.

I agree with GreenDinos's comment, Forsythia is so easy to propagate. Cut sticks from the long shoots about 6" or so long. Stick them in the ground and keep the soil moist, don't let it dry out. In 2 weeks or so, the sticks will begin to produce roots. Here is how you tell if the sticks have rooted yet. Ever so gently, pull straight up on the stick, if you feel resistance, stop, the roots are beginning. If you feel no resistance, gently push the stick back in its hole. Please wait 2-3 weeks after "sticking" them in the ground, most should have rooted by then. Good luck!