[Lua][Turtles][Question] Redwood Tree Farming

I am on a heavily modded custom server. We have IC2, RP, CC, Logistics Pipes, and Extrabiomes XL (among many other mods). I am trying to write a program to automate the process of planting, harvest, and converting redwood trees into charcoal. I am using 4 turtles with a central control computer for synchronization for the fastest possible harvest speed.

I got just about ever thing done: turtles harvest trees, refuel themselves, deposit any logs, replant the trees, logs are converted to charcoal. The only thing I do not have is being able to detect *when* the Redwood can be regrown. This is to say, I can use turtle.place() with bonemeal (or sulfur goo, actually) to regrow the tree, but the tree will not regrow until 95% of all the leaves have decayed.

I have been beating my head against the wall to come up with something, but I got nothing. If there are any other mods you might have an idea to help make this happen, we might already have them. Any ideas? I was thinking, I need to either detect when I can fertilize the tree to regrow it or find a way to speed up the destruction of the leaves.

I believe having a turtle with a flint and steel can use turtle.place() to use it. You could maybe try to get your turtles to light the leaves on fire as soon as they finish harvesting the tree. Maybe try moving over 5 or 10 blocks, and then starting over, then moving back. By then the leaves may be decayed enough. if not, then just keep moving around, planting, growing, and planting, just in a square or something. Otherwise, I guess you may just have to wait.

Hmmm… I like the fire idea. That just might work, but that might destroy the saplings, which means I would have to start feeding saplings into the system too. Right now the only nessecary input to the system is BC power (which it can output through the charcoal) and fertilizer.