Pine stumps - use the passage of time to clear?

I've had some cutting done around a few of my food plots. I was going to make them bigger, maybe by a half an acre or so each. But, I'm not sure I can get an excavator and bulldozer in for such a small job. I'm not worried about how long it will take. I've heard that after 3-5 years the stumps are pretty much rotted and you can run a disc or subsoiler through them. Anyone know if this works? Thanks.

It'll take a heck of a lot longer than 3-5 years. The center of pine stumps become kindling. Hard a rock and will tear something loose, maybe even you. Great for starting fires, but not for plowing thru. They'll need to be dug up. It'll take 10-15 years before you can break the center out of the stumps.

How big , how many, pine, oak or gum? We had some thinning done 3 yrs ago and last fall we were busting off the rotted pine stumps that were under 12".

small pine stumps can be left 2' talll and be broken down in less that 2 years by hand or tractor.

All pine. Some 12-18" in diameter, a few larger. I guess it's the larger ones that will be the problem. Maybe I'll just grind them down.

What kind of pine, a loblolly will rot fairly well, but a longleaf or slash will be with you for a long time. That loblolly may tear your plow up anyway. If you have a contractor close by I would call him and ask if he can remove the stumps.

It's all loblolly. I'm pretty sure that today's loblolly's which usually don't grow more than about 30-35 years don't produce lighter/kindling. I could be wrong, but I'm fairly sure about that.

If you pour trace mineral salt over it the deer and other animals will dig it up. It takes several years, but they will even chew on them.

I had the 16yo loblolly cut off the few acres between my house and the road, after 2 years some of the stumps would bust up with a heavy bush hog. After 3 years they all would. Four years later and I have disked it all up multiple times, picked up all limbs and its completely grass now. I will sprig it in Bermuda as a hay field hopefully this year.

Another tract had mature loblolly (25-28 yo) clear cut 4 years ago. Just a few weeks ago I eased around in the clear cut bush hogging some new lanes/plots and nearly every pine stump would bust up.

On the houseplace I have when I bought it, it had 75 trees on about 3/4 acre. I borrowed a mini X from work and dug a few oak and gum out. very time consuming and had to then get dirt to refill all the holes. Rented a walk behind stump grinder for the weekend and ground the rest about 6" below grade in 2 days.

Thanks, hosscat. That's similar to what I have heard. I'm going to give it a try. Will report results, as most of the stumps are about 3 years old now.

That little tidbit in the OP woulda changed everything ..lol

Only if it's old growth long leaf.
These hybrid lob lollies we got today will rot in 2 years.
I just plowed up a bunch of 2 year old pine stumps.
They busted like dry goober hulls.

Yea, i'm used to dealing with longleaf, didn't know these different pine species would rot away that quick.