Logging Road Question

[WTNUT]

We just finished cutting about 175 acres. Had the foresters mark the trees we wanted to sell. Generally took out over mature trees and those with disease and likely to die over the next 10 years. Opened up the canopy some, but not a ton.

I am trying to decide what to plant on the roads and skid trails. I don’t want a bunch of grasses or things that will go to seed and get into food plots. For background, there are .75 to 1.5 acre plots all through this wooded tract that we made with our dozers and excavators.

I am thinking of the following mix per acre. Don’t know the exact number of acres yet, but in reality probably not that many.

25 lbs wheat
25 lbs rye (grain)
White clover 4 lbs
Birdsfoot T. 4 lbs
Yellow Sweet clover 4 lbs


Thoughts?????


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[SD51555]

We just finished cutting about 175 acres. Had the foresters mark the trees we wanted to sell. Generally took out over mature trees and those with disease and likely to die over the next 10 years. Opened up the canopy some, but not a ton.

I am trying to decide what to plant on the roads and skid trails. I don’t want a bunch of grasses or things that will go to seed and get into food plots. For background, there are .75 to 1.5 acre plots all through this wooded tract that we made with our dozers and excavators.

I am thinking of the following mix per acre. Don’t know the exact number of acres yet, but in reality probably not that many.

25 lbs wheat
25 lbs rye (grain)
White clover 4 lbs
Birdsfoot T. 4 lbs
Yellow Sweet clover 4 lbs


Thoughts?????


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Don’t forget the chicory.


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[Jerry-B-WI]

Don’t forget the chicory.


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Deer Creek Seeds has a loggers trail mix. You could check it out and customize to your liking.

 

[WTNUT]

Deer Creek Seeds has a loggers trail mix. You could check it out and customize to your liking.

They have a great offering of seeds, but unfortunately their prices seem about 25% higher that where I have been buying.


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[FarmerDan]

We just finished cutting about 175 acres. Had the foresters mark the trees we wanted to sell. Generally took out over mature trees and those with disease and likely to die over the next 10 years. Opened up the canopy some, but not a ton.

I am trying to decide what to plant on the roads and skid trails. I don’t want a bunch of grasses or things that will go to seed and get into food plots. For background, there are .75 to 1.5 acre plots all through this wooded tract that we made with our dozers and excavators.

I am thinking of the following mix per acre. Don’t know the exact number of acres yet, but in reality probably not that many.

25 lbs wheat
25 lbs rye (grain)
White clover 4 lbs
Birdsfoot T. 4 lbs
Yellow Sweet clover 4 lbs


Thoughts?????


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What's your objective? Soil stabilization? Restoration? Food plots? Will nature provide the plants you need?

 

[Ben.MN/WI]

My planting recommendation depends on whether you want the deer to eat on the logging roads or not. And also if you might want to shoot on the logging road or not.

When I had my place logged, I immediately seeded it down with oats and rye in all areas just to stabilize the soil as quickly as possible to prevent erosion. I added clover and alfalfa in the areas that I wanted the deer to feed in and then some perennial grasses in areas I don't want them to eat. Most areas did pretty well and they are filling in nicely after mowing the logging roads this summer. I'm expecting that the winter rye that I cut will give me a lot of volunteer seeds that will grow when we get some wet weather.

 

[Telemark]

Are you planning to drive on these roads, or do you want them to be food plots?

 

[BobinCt]

Birdsfoot Trefoil is invasive. I’ve always thought of planting it but hesitant because of that. Just an FYI

 

[WTNUT]

What's your objective? Soil stabilization? Restoration? Food plots? Will nature provide the plants you need?

Good question. My objective is not to be a food plot. It is primarily ground cover and stabilization of of the top silt layer of the soil. I have been affiliated with dirt work in the oil and gas industry for decades. So I can say they logger did a better than average job of water bars, grade and road reclamation. I just want some nice quick cover, but a lot of the roads are near food plots so I don’t want seed that is going to germinate and produce seeds that are not really wanted in my plots.


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[WTNUT]

Are you planning to drive on these roads, or do you want them to be food plots?

Good question - Answer generally no. I constructed the roads that we use for farming years ago and they are true roads with ditches, drain pipes, etc. These roads were made with a Deere 650J and I had them reclaimed to original contour where located on a slope. So if I go out one it will generally only be to get a deer that someone needs to recover.


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[WTNUT]

Birdsfoot Trefoil is invasive. I’ve always thought of planting it but hesitant because of that. Just an FYI

We have planted a lot and for whatever reason it grows, but in our area it is not something that spreads. Years ago some of the older books on deer management touted it as a poor mans alfalfa. Not sure where that came from because the seed ain’t cheap and I have talked to everyone of my deer and they don’t think it tastes anything like alfalfa LOL


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[Telemark]

White clover ought to work for you. It's quite popular for logging roads. Deer eat it, but it doesn't seem to be a super draw for most people. Some varieties stay pretty short, and tolerate low light conditions many trails/roads are in. It's also relatively quiet to walk on in case you ever wanted to still hunt along the roads.

 

[bigboreblr]

I'd use the rye and pass on the oats and trefoil. Trefoil isn't liked well by wildlife and spreads fast. I made the mistake of putting it in my clover forst seed blend one year. Add timothy to the regret list, but I think trefoil will be a bigger regret. Actually timothy isn't a bad thing to add either. I just wouldn't make it a first choice in a food plot pasture blend.

Deer like young rye, they use it a bit, but by time deer season comes, it might be too tall. Definitely good to stabiize that soil though.