Creek Cleanup: Cutting Back & Clearing Overgrown Overhanging Thorny Branches - Debris Accumulation

Cleaning Up a small section of the creek. The goal is to widen and deepen the creek, restoring it to its original width and depth.
Removing overgrown bush hedge thornbush plants that overhang the creek. The accumulation of dead branches, twigs, leaves, rotten apples, birch catkins, and general debris have slowed the water flow and causes blockages to form easily as debris floating by gets snagged and hung up on the branches. THORNS make it even more difficult to quickly prune or cut back live stringers, and are a deterrent to cleaning up years of dead branches building up underneath.
Not my style (I like to do everything by hand), but I took the chainsaw and sliced through the dead overgrowth and just raked the whole mass of branches away. Putting the thorny branches into the blue plastic pool made it easier to transfer to a pile because none of the branches could snag my clothes as I overturned the pool. The kiddie swimming pool has definitely been handy. A wheelbarrow would've been harder to load.
Cutting away the branches at waist level was necessary so I could access the lower branches at water level. Kept telling myself, "Don't poke your eye out!" Most of the branches at water level were wet, decaying, decomposing, slimy, and easy to just pull out. Just had to take the time and make the effort to do it as cleanly as possible, grabbing clumps, so as not to introduce any more debris into the creek which feeds the duck pond. It has enough debris in it already and this process is already stirring up A LOT of silt and sediment. I have set up 2 grates downstream, which I empty multiple times a day, which catch some of the larger twigs, branches and leaves. But a lot of debris gets through or bypasses the grate and goes around. The catkins (which are dropping, falling off the birch tree now, it's May) float and are all over the place because it is windy regularly here.
I will probably continue to do it this way as we tackle more sections along the creek. The ducks have been enjoying this newly-cleared section, foraging in the newly exposed brambles and fishing in the stirred up sediment for a tasty snack of worms and bugs. I found a lot of earthworms for them in the mud and since I wore my waders (waterproof rubber boots for muddy situations), I was able to easily stomp around and try to be a worm whisperer.
I am so grateful we have such a beautiful property with a creek and pond and we can have ducks and I can hear the running water all day. 😊❤️ Very peaceful and makes it even more satisfying to do all this property maintenance "work".
Date: Wed 5.15.24
Tools: Stihl Battery-Powered Chainsaw, Metal Bow Rake, Hand Pruners, Loppers, Plastic Kiddie Swimming Pool, waders /mud boots / rain boots / muddy boots / water shoes
#overgrown
#diy #project
diy back yard clean up
#creek #nature #creekside
#cleanup #clearing #clean
#timelapse
#timelapsevideo
#yard #yardwork #yaedcare
#thorns
#muddyboots #waders #rubberboots
overgrown backyard cleanup
time lapse back yard clean up
timelapse backyard cleaning clearing transformation
time lapse videos
restore water flow
restoring creek flowing
original creek width and depth
helping widen creek
creek widening help
help creek water flow better
helping clean creek flowing smoother
thorn thorns thorny thorned
thornbush thorn bush hedge
back yard backyard sideyard
volunteer to clean area
helping community
community clean up day
help neighbors neighborhood
help cut back overgrown bushes hedges plants
helping remove dead branches
next: shovel out debris gravel silt mud
[Need to create custom thumbnail with descriptive text] 6.29.24 leave as is 4k
7.15.24 5.8k

[@APDJAdventures]

Thanks for watching! Here is another video, clearing the bushes a little bit downstream.
czcams.com/video/K_3a9nRyroY/video.htmlsi=YWopHNKw_t9_UEmz
If you like ducks, they are at the end of the video, happily checking out the newly exposed areas for snacks!

[@marthabartel604]

I love theblue pool for clean up and taking to the burn pile, later it can be a pool again.

[@APDJAdventures]

Thanks for watching and commenting! I appreciate it. 🤗
I absolutely LOVE my kiddie pools! I now have 4 🤪. They are so handy in so many situations.