Would you plant ahead of logging?

[chummer]

I don't have the details yet when my place will be logged. That being said I want to plant some black spruce and white pine. I don't want to loose a year of growth and want the seedling planted this year. I have a large wet area that I doubt they will be doing much cutting in so I would at least like to get the black spruce in. Should I wait or plant now knowing some may get trampled.

 

[Tree Spud]

I am trying to figure out if this is a trick question ... ?

Why waste your time?

If you are planting where the loggers won't go, what is the issue?

 

[Jim Timber]

I wouldn't plant anything until they're done and gone. Skidder tires are about 2' across, so your chances of getting hit are good unless they decided to avoid your tree (it'll be below the snow line - so they're not going to know it's there).

 

[West Branch]

I would want to know for sure they won't be an in area, once they come through with big equipment dragging trees not much will be missed. Check with them on the wet area and get some of the black spruce started if they will be staying out. They will be a bit slower growing.

 

[chummer]

I am trying to figure out if this is a trick question ... ?

Why waste your time?

If you are planting where the loggers won't go, what is the issue?

No trick question. I have never seen a logging operation up close. I wasn't sure how bad they tore things up.

 

[tooln]

I wouldn't plant anything if logging is going on in the area.
Chances of anything making it are slim to none.
If it is an area clear from the logging then go for it.

 

[wiscwhip]

No trick question. I have never seen a logging operation up close. I wasn't sure how bad they tore things up.

Well, you are in for an eye opening experience then.;)

 

[Terrific_tom]

I would wait until the logging is done. You might be surprised to what comes up naturally.

 

[Tree Spud]

No trick question. I have never seen a logging operation up close. I wasn't sure how bad they tore things up.

Sorry, I worked a couple while in college .

Your property will basically become a construction site. Big equipment ... skid steers, excavator with grapple hooks ... they want to get in and get out. Hopefully you have some type of agreement in the contract as to property condition after they are done.

As mentioned above, you should see some very good regrowth and possible re-emergence of suppressed trees & plants.

 

[j-bird]

To be honest your going to think to your self, "What the #$%^ did I just do to my place?" You will swear your NEVER going to do that again and then in two years your going to either think to yourself, "Man I wish they cut a few more" or "I can't wait until I get the next cutting in 20 years." Just make sure they hold up their of of repairs and the like and you will feel much better in a year or so. They are literally going thru the woods with essentially an articulated tractor and they tend to no go around they go over or thru. Words like delicate, fragile, careful and the like are not in their vocabulary.

 

[shawnv]

In the fields maybe you could plant a cover crop that could work against weed suppression if you don't want that competing with your spruce, otherwise I would only plant where they won't go.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Chummer - The advice I got from a state forester concerning logging at my camp was : if you have ferns in the woods, spray with gly first to kill as many of the ferns as possible. This can be done before logging or IMMEDIATELY after logging is done. Killing ferns is the way to maximize the sprouting and establishment of new seedlings. ( that's IF you have ferns ). He recommended leaving the tops lay for free " fencing " to keep deer off new sprouts.

Our practice has been to wait until logging is done and THEN plant. No wasted time or $$$. But where we wanted to plant ( spruce ) was right where the logging was being done.
A tip to save headaches - pick up some of the surveyor's wire flags and stick one within a foot of where you plant each new tree. This allows you to keep track of the location and number of survivors after a year in the ground. ( or 2 or 3 yrs. until they get big enough to see easily ). Without an inedible marker, you won't remember where you planted them in case some get eaten off or die for some reason. Cheap monitoring system.

 

[j-bird]

Chummer - along the line of ferns - if you have ANY invasive plants you want to control them BEFORE the logging starts. The additional light will simply allow/encourage the invasive plants to explode if not addressed first.

 

[chummer]

Thanks for the feedback guys. I will be using the same forester my FIL used. He did a great job monitoring the loggers and making sure they fixed all the trails. I can't wait to take a better inventory once the snow is gone. On my initial walk through I saw very few conifers so I think that is going to be my top priority. I am planning a very heavy cut so from the sounds of it I should hold off on planting. Maybes I will just start with some black spruce in a 5-10 acre beaver swamp. I can't imagine they will be going in there for anything. I close in 2 weeks assuming the bank gets their crap together.

 

[Jim Timber]

Swamps are very workable in the winter. Mine is frozen solid right now and handles a 7,000# tractor with ease when a 800# atv would sink in the summer.

In fact, I'll be dragging my cargo container across the swamp next week if weather permits. Aside from the lumpy surface from stumps, it might as well be concrete.

 

[chummer]

Swamps are very workable in the winter. Mine is frozen solid right now and handles a 7,000# tractor with ease when a 800# atv would sink in the summer.

In fact, I'll be dragging my cargo container across the swamp next week if weather permits. Aside from the lumpy surface from stumps, it might as well be concrete.

I am just not sure there is much in there. Most of the stuff looked dead other than a few hemlocks which they won't be taking. It is on the furthest border so they shouldn't have to go through there. I will know a lot more once the forester walks the property.

 

[Jim Timber]

That may be the case. You might want them to pull that stuff out for you if you want to replant it to the black spruce? If they're chipping slash and selling it for power production, you could get some more tonnage out of that junk and open up the ground for your seedlings.

 

[chummer]

That may be the case. You might want them to pull that stuff out for you if you want to replant it to the black spruce? If they're chipping slash and selling it for power production, you could get some more tonnage out of that junk and open up the ground for your seedlings.

That would be great. I would love a blank slate swamp to play with.

 

[Bluecollaroutdoors]

Agree on the ice in the swamp making it workable. We have about 6 acres that woukd usually hold some water and would only get an atv through it in dry years. Every winter when it freezes hard we cut stsding dead and dry ash and skip it out to dry land to cut up in summer. We could never get it out in summer. This years no snow and freezing temps were perfect to begin with. Now with the winds we are blocked out with a mile easement and 5 foot rock hards drifts that will swallow a car.


I agree you will think HOLY CRAP what did they do and within a year the signs will fade and two years later you will like what you see as the woods has exploded with new growth. What grows back is always the question.

 

[chummer]

My understanding from the forester is he marks the trees to be bid on. If I don't want them in an area he just won't mark any trees there. However, I want to get as much of my money back as possible up front so I want them to log the whole thing. Unless there is a large area with few trees(perhaps the beaver area) then maybe I will leave that area untouched. The only way that would change is there is a lot more value there than I want to get back now. In that case I would probably leave a large block to be cut at a later date.