My property has a large amount of NWC on it. I’m told by locals it was last logged sometime in the 50’s or 60’s. From what I can tell, after logging what appears to be some very large cedar, it re-grew as thousands and thousands of stump sprouts.
So what I have now are hundreds of cedar clumps containing from 6-10 trunks each. Some trunks are 14” diameter and others might be 1/2 of that. Some are only 2-3” because they could never get enough light before the canopy closed over.
In the summertime it’s almost dark at hi noon. In winter, only a fraction of our snowfall makes it to the ground. The clumps are close enough together that almost nothing grows underneath. It’s classic winter “yarding” cover in the snow-belt.
There are few balsams and an ironwood here and there mixed in, but it’s 90+% NWC.
The problem is, I have some great thermal cover, but not enough winter food to make it worthwhile being there.
So my questions revolve around managing my cedars to keep the thermal cover but also mix in some areas where the cedars are “managed” for some regeneration. Maybe let some light reach the ground in a few spots.
I was told one way might be to selectively cut each clump and leave the 1 or 2 strongest trunks to get more nutrients and light. Additional light to the forest floor should grow some deer food until the cedars close the canopy again.
Has anyone here managed their NWC for better hunting?
So what I have now are hundreds of cedar clumps containing from 6-10 trunks each. Some trunks are 14” diameter and others might be 1/2 of that. Some are only 2-3” because they could never get enough light before the canopy closed over.
In the summertime it’s almost dark at hi noon. In winter, only a fraction of our snowfall makes it to the ground. The clumps are close enough together that almost nothing grows underneath. It’s classic winter “yarding” cover in the snow-belt.
There are few balsams and an ironwood here and there mixed in, but it’s 90+% NWC.
The problem is, I have some great thermal cover, but not enough winter food to make it worthwhile being there.
So my questions revolve around managing my cedars to keep the thermal cover but also mix in some areas where the cedars are “managed” for some regeneration. Maybe let some light reach the ground in a few spots.
I was told one way might be to selectively cut each clump and leave the 1 or 2 strongest trunks to get more nutrients and light. Additional light to the forest floor should grow some deer food until the cedars close the canopy again.
Has anyone here managed their NWC for better hunting?