As to how to handle a small runway.... PRACTICE. Its amazing how small a runway you NEED.

With practice you can easilly keep an average .40 size plane inside an area the size of a football field. (not crossing the track they run around it at the local High school) You may be suprised... you probably already DO keep in that small an area. So a 3 acre flying site is PLENTY.

A local club measured the area of thier leased site at 5 acres. Over 1/3 is never almost flown over. (but they do cross into a neighbors area by maybe 50 ft regularly)

Anyone here fly R/C combat with .50 Ci limit? you would know this.. the 250 ft from the spectator safety line, if that line is close to the pilot's line is FURTHER out than you normally go doing a traffic pattern around the field with a trainer.

We don't use as much airspace as some people would have you think.
*****

Another thread brought up something which helps immensely with putting a plane down on a short runway after clearing a tree or other obstruction... SPOILERONS. It takes practice to be able to do it... but you can come in at high angle of attack, with some power on, spoilerons deployed and have a VERY short roll on landing. It brings the plane down like it was on an elevator.