Managing aspen for bedding/cover in Northern areas

3I0

A good 3 year old buck
I own 160 acres in Northwestern Ontario in what is generally a densely forested area, with minimal agricultural activity nearby. Looking to the forum for input on a strategy to better manage what I have to work with.

The primary tree species I have are aspen, balsam fir, spruce, and birch - with lots of native shrubs like red osier dogwood/etc as well. The property was around 70-80% clear cut around 20 years ago, so the majority of what I have are aspen trees standing anywhere from 12-20ft+ high - very little cover value at this point. There isn't a significant amount of fall/winter browse except around edges of trails and food plot clearings. I have one main food plot that is around 3 acres in size (planted in winter rye, white clover, and with some 2' aspen shoots coming up in a recently mulched area), with two others that are 1/2-3/4 acre in size (not planted right now - mostly grass and alsike clover which the deer don't touch). A lot of the surrounding properties were clear cut in the last 7-10 years, but I think are starting to reach the point of thinning out and putting browse out of the deers ability to reach it. Everyone here uses bait, which in my experience anyways food plots are not really able to compete with as long as the corn/etc is plentiful.

I am looking to start clear cutting areas of the standing aspen I have to re-establish bedding/cover and improve hunting on my property. The trees aren't of a size where there is any economic value in logging them, so I'll be manually dropping them with a chainsaw/brushsaw and leaving them where they fall during late fall/winter. Trying to figure out the following:

1. How large of area(s) should I be clearing to create viable bedding on a sustainable basis, while balancing that I will be clearing them manually. I would like to rotate areas to have continuous useful habitat to hold more deer, but realistically probably can't cut double-digit acres in one season when I probably have to do it from snowshoes in the winter... which is when I understand is the best time to cut aspen to have the thickest regrowth.

2. Are numerous smaller areas better than 1 or 2 larger areas? And then cutting in between smaller areas as regrowth occurs?

3. Is there a minimum age that aspen should be allowed to reach before it is cut down again to re-start the growth process? Basically wondering if it will work to manually cut down the larger trees I have now (ranging somewhere around 3" diameter to maybe 8-10") and then in a few years try and maintain it purely with a brush saw which I can do way faster than a chainsaw.... maybe once things get 5-6' high. I wouldn't want to inadvertently kill off the aspen by cutting too often though.

4. Is it better to fully clear cut the areas I am working with, or leave some balsams/etc in the newly created opening? I have noticed when I walk around in the spring, the deer seem to like to bed underneath the balsam trees over the winter as the snow doesn't get as deep in this area.

5. Any other management tips, in general, from people working with similar areas. My area is very similar to Northern MN near Lake Superior/US-Canada border.
 
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Based on my previous logging practices- my opinion larger clear cuts are more productive. Larger areas allow for more sunlight to reach the ground which will enable all new shoots to grow. Larger areas will support browse intensity better due to the shear volume of sucker growth.

aspen does better in an open setting than shade so I would remove all competition. I would say 2 ac minimum and square shaped if possible to maximize light. And southern slopes if possible. You could always stager your cuts if your just slashing and dashing. 2-4 acres per year or every other year to ensure different stages of succession. The amount of regen and browse pressure Will be your guide if you need to complete larger acreage clear cuts or if you can scale down.
Hope this helps!
 
Cutting the aspens in January gives the deer a food boost and the subsequent regrowth of winter cut aspen versus summer cut is about double.
 
I think if your goal is to increase bedding on your property, try and place the bedding areas near the middle of your property. Then, place your food plots or clear cuts based on wind directions and access. You should then be able to hunt access trails between your bedding areas and your food sources.
 
I own 160 acres in Northwestern Ontario in what is generally a densely forested area, with minimal agricultural activity nearby. Looking to the forum for input on a strategy to better manage what I have to work with.

The primary tree species I have are aspen, balsam fir, spruce, and birch - with lots of native shrubs like red osier dogwood/etc as well. The property was around 70-80% clear cut around 20 years ago, so the majority of what I have are aspen trees standing anywhere from 12-20ft+ high - very little cover value at this point. There isn't a significant amount of fall/winter browse except around edges of trails and food plot clearings. I have one main food plot that is around 3 acres in size (planted in winter rye, white clover, and with some 2' aspen shoots coming up in a recently mulched area), with two others that are 1/2-3/4 acre in size (not planted right now - mostly grass and alsike clover which the deer don't touch). A lot of the surrounding properties were clear cut in the last 7-10 years, but I think are starting to reach the point of thinning out and putting browse out of the deers ability to reach it. Everyone here uses bait, which in my experience anyways food plots are not really able to compete with as long as the corn/etc is plentiful.

I am looking to start clear cutting areas of the standing aspen I have to re-establish bedding/cover and improve hunting on my property. The trees aren't of a size where there is any economic value in logging them, so I'll be manually dropping them with a chainsaw/brushsaw and leaving them where they fall during late fall/winter. Trying to figure out the following:

1. How large of area(s) should I be clearing to create viable bedding on a sustainable basis, while balancing that I will be clearing them manually. I would like to rotate areas to have continuous useful habitat to hold more deer, but realistically probably can't cut double-digit acres in one season when I probably have to do it from snowshoes in the winter... which is when I understand is the best time to cut aspen to have the thickest regrowth.

2. Are numerous smaller areas better than 1 or 2 larger areas? And then cutting in between smaller areas as regrowth occurs?

3. Is there a minimum age that aspen should be allowed to reach before it is cut down again to re-start the growth process? Basically wondering if it will work to manually cut down the larger trees I have now (ranging somewhere around 3" diameter to maybe 8-10") and then in a few years try and maintain it purely with a brush saw which I can do way faster than a chainsaw.... maybe once things get 5-6' high. I wouldn't want to inadvertently kill off the aspen by cutting too often though.

4. Is it better to fully clear cut the areas I am working with, or leave some balsams/etc in the newly created opening? I have noticed when I walk around in the spring, the deer seem to like to bed underneath the balsam trees over the winter as the snow doesn't get as deep in this area.

5. Any other management tips, in general, from people working with similar areas. My area is very similar to Northern MN near Lake Superior/US-Canada border.

3I0, I am envious, wish I had that much aspen, balsam, & spruce. Many of us here are trying to create that on our own properties.

If your goal is to stimulate new spring growth of the cut aspen in the spring, timing and location of the cut is important.

Aspen have a large sprawling root system that can spread 40'-50'. So most of the root system can sprout new regrowth tree shoots after cutting.

Timing of the cut should be when tree is completely dormant. As fall approaches and moves into winter, and trees start to go dormant, all of their fluids/sap moves from the upper tree down into the root system. Best timing to cut an adult tree is mid/late winter typically February.

As spring approaches, the fluid/sap movement process reverses itself and moves back up into the tree. With the upper tree cut, this reserves the fluids for the new sprout growth.

Locating the cut should allow for sun to reach the spot. As stated above a south slope is ideal. If no south slope, make your cuts at least twice as long as wide with one end facing south. This will allow more sun to reach more of the cut early spring when the sun is still low in the sky.

I would suggest that you leave a mature tree (>5"-6") standing every 75-100 yards as seed trees. Aspen seeds can spread by wind up to 1200' so this will help replenish the seed bank.

The longer narrower cuts could also be very good for hunting. Cut sizes of 2-4 acres would allow for cuts that are nice and long. You can also do them with a narrow south end and expand as you move up and shape to the land contour. This may allow you to sneak in the shaded end in the morning and allow for the deer to bed in the sun swepth end towards the north. Similar to sitting on power line cuts deer are more apt to move across them before dark.

Post some pics of your work and good luck.
 
So I am now two tanks of gas in my Stihl FS 560 into this project. Haven't had as much time as I'd like to work on it so far, but should be able to get out at least a day a week from here on out.

There is around 18" of snow on the ground so I am working off snow shoes. This makes it mostly impossible to walk backwards, so coupled with how thick the bush is it makes it tough to drop the trees without just hanging them up in already standing trees. Pretty much just doing my best to lay them down back towards the now open area (which funnels towards my main food plot).

So far I have cut about 75 yards straight into the bush following a heavily used (in summer/fall) deer trail. Not sure exactly how wide, 40-60ft ish. Total length of what I'd like to get done this winter at a minimum is about 275 yards to loop around some more mature (and even thicker) bush and make a more defined + huntable travel corridor. Hopefully this will also produce a ton of regeneration to get more browse once the frost sets in during fall time + provide some bedding cover closer to my food plot. I'm getting closer to an area where I'd like to make a wider portion as suggested above to get more sunlight on the ground on a South facing slope, although the direction this cut is going now should still get quite a bit of peak sun.

Curious to get some opinions on the best work-to-benefit balance for how to clean this up afterwards. So far I have just been using my chainsaw to re-open a trail down through this disaster zone, and plan to do the majority of the actual clean up work during the spring once the snow melts. With the stumps at the top of the current snow height it'll be tough to get my tractor in there to get much help to move the downed trees. It's all clay underneath too, so if I do drive on it too much with my tractor it'll make a real mess and probably destroy the aspen roots under the tire ruts.

I was planning to branch off from the main travel corridor and cut paths through the downed trees, and then make some small areas totally bare with brush piles around them with escape routes that would hopefully encourage bedding in future years. If anyone has any other suggestions I'd be interested in hearing them though. It probably won't be quite as tangled as it looks now once the snow melts and the trees settle on the ground.

I'd prefer to stick with stuff I can do myself with a chainsaw, but if my neighbor rents a large excavator again this year I might be tempted to just hire him come in to turn this into a series of brush piles. If I win the lottery I am buying a 20 ton excavator with a tree shear head on it for this type of work though....

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I had logging done 5 years ago on my 80 acres. It was mostly red maple/ oak with a thick balsam undergrowth. I had a few pockets of very mature aspen. My Forrester marked every 1-2 acre spots with aspen to be clear cut. All hardwood stands select cut. In some spots the aspen came back so thick it is almost hard to walk thru. In these areas there are trails but I never notice any beds. A couple of the clear cuts the aspen only came back in a small little patch, the area came back in grass/ weeds with some maple stump sprouts and other small shrubs. Now these spots have become bedding magnets. The key I believe is the 3 ft tall weeds/ grass with scattered shrubs. If you have a 160 of the same type of aspen growth I would sacrifice a few areas to make it more diverse. I would make a clear cut and try to stop the aspen from regenerating. Get some type of grass and shrubs growing. Diversity is the key. I would leave a few scattered balsam in there, I have noticed the same bedding under them also.
 
Some doe groups did take to bedding in cut aspens here. They were more mature than yours say maybe ten to 14 inches diameter and thus there were not as many stems. I cut them half way thru at chest height and above planning for the falls that looked right and then let the winds finish the job. It went very quickly with half or better remaining hinged. The hinged died quickly but provided a base of cover. The main purpose I was going for was getting the tops to hungry deer in the winter and feeding deer thru regeneration. The bedding was hoped for but not all that expected. still there was some bedding. The browse on the tree tops fed the deer for 3 weeks to a month during the critical dead of winter and the regeneration supplied good food for two years and then it was out of their reach. For that reason I ration how much I drop each year so the cut/grow cycle can continue for a long while.
 
I wouldn't cut any conifers. In fact, I would plant more. Also consider planting arborvita.

Consider planting switch grass or another type of grass that will stay standing as late as possible. Keeping the open areas full of grasses and shrubby growth will attract a lot of deer, as you have noticed. Also plant some browse shrubs like dogwoods in there.

As far as food plots, plant a blend, and don't be afraid to plant some corn. Also, coppicing food trees will give you stump sprouts that deer will probably prefer over most other foods.

I have a place in that general area, and the deer are concentrated in the places with thick low (3-6 feet high) growth and sparse, low trees (at least 10 feet between trees and nothing taller than 20').

I have been cutting aspens more for grouse than deer. The deer just don't seem to relate to my aspens for bedding. But there was heavy browse on the stump sprouts in my aspen Grove.
 
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