What to do with cedars

[EarthySpirit]

Hi all, I need some advice about my bedding area. I have 49 acres. See the map below. The area in the yellow rectangle is 5 acres loaded with deer. Based on trail camera data, probably 12-14 deer bed here, some are decent bucks. But I'm worried about these cedars become too tall and creating canopy over time. I want to keep it suitable for bedding. Should I randomly thin out the largest cedars , or should I take our groups and create larger pockets of openings? Hope the question makes sense. The trees at the bottom of the rectangle are clearly not cedars, but are all redbuds. Thanks for any advice. As you can see I have similar less-used bedding on the left side of the photo that I can cultivate too.

 

[swat1018]

Where are you? In many parts of the world, cedars are about as good of bedding as you can get.

 

[EarthySpirit]

Where are you? In many parts of the world, cedars are about as good of bedding as you can get.

Central KY. I agree, young cedars are great, but when they grow tall in groups, they create a canopy and create a dessert where no deer want to be.

 

[Boll Weevil]

Cut’em. Every. Single. One.

 

[Bill]

I’m a few years behind you. I have fields growing up in cedars. Great bedding. My long term plan is to cut many of them as they age. Nothing more useful than a cedar with limbs to the dirt. and. Nothing more useless than cedars that have no needles for the first 10 feet.

The nice thing is they th lots of seed so the they will come back. the not nice thing is when you cut them what do you do with them? The skeleton will lay there for years.

Good question, I’m listening.

 

[EarthySpirit]

I’m a few years behind you. I have fields growing up in cedars. Great bedding. My long term plan is to cut many of them as they age. Nothing more useful than a cedar with limbs to the dirt. and. Nothing more useless than cedars that have no needles for the first 10 feet.

The nice thing is they th lots of seed so the they will come back. the not nice thing is when you cut them what do you do with them? The skeleton will lay there for years.

Good question, I’m listening.

I put mine in the ditches. :)

 

[Native Hunter]

Selectively remove some of them to keep sunlight coming to the bottoms of the ones left. Get it to where you can occasionally mow between the ones left. Only mow every few years as necessary and do it in the spring.

 

[Tree Spud]

For us in the north a cedar thicket is golden for bedding. If you can have the lower 6' of the tree without limbs, great for over head cover when the snow fly's.

I agree with thinning to allow the branching to spread out. Keep the outer perimeter of cedar branching low to the ground for wind cover.

 

[BenAllgood]

It seems like you are already at the maintenance stage of good bedding. A good time to selectively thin cedars is right before spring green up. The young ones are easy to spot then. You have the bedding you want in that section. Keep it that way structurally. Every couple years, go in removing some of the new ones that pop up and just keep the rest from shading others out. You want that tall grass and forb growth interspersed. Keep the other young woody growth and briars held back too.

 

[EarthySpirit]

It seems like you are already at the maintenance stage of good bedding. A good time to selectively thin cedars is right before spring green up. The young ones are easy to spot then. You have the bedding you want in that section. Keep it that way structurally. Every couple years, go in removing some of the new ones that pop up and just keep the rest from shading others out. You want that tall grass and forb growth interspersed. Keep the other young woody growth and briars held back too.

That's interesting. I would have thought to take the biggest ones and let new ones grow a few years. What do the rest of you think?

 

[EarthySpirit]

Selectively remove some of them to keep sunlight coming to the bottoms of the ones left. Get it to where you can occasionally mow between the ones left. Only mow every few years as necessary and do it in the spring.

Thanks Native!! I apologize for not getting back to you recently. I had something come up that stole me away... I appreciate your advice.

 

[BenAllgood]

That's interesting. I would have thought to take the biggest ones and let new ones grow a few years. What do the rest of you think?

I'm talking about not letting them takeover. Thin out young and old. Cedars can fill in spots if you don't watch. The idea is to keep the structure type you have now since it's working. Just maintain that look.

 

[Native Hunter]

Thanks Native!! I apologize for not getting back to you recently. I had something come up that stole me away... I appreciate your advice.

No problem Patrick, you can still call me some evening if you would like to.

PS: If you ever travel from Bowling Green to Russellville on 68/80 I've noticed a nice field on the north of the road where someone is doing what I recommended. That field started out with NWSGs and they have let cedars take over parts of it and kept them spaced out like I was talking about. It's a long way from where I live, but when traveling through that country the last few years, I have noticed this. That field now looks like prime deer habitat. It's somewhere in the area of where there is a Dollar General on the South side of the road.

 

[willy]

Selectively remove some of them to keep sunlight coming to the bottoms of the ones left. Get it to where you can occasionally mow between the ones left. Only mow every few years as necessary and do it in the spring.

This and what Ben said. Prime stuff, cedar bedding with NWSG/forbs is.

 

[swat1018]

I’m a few years behind you. I have fields growing up in cedars. Great bedding. My long term plan is to cut many of them as they age. Nothing more useful than a cedar with limbs to the dirt. and. Nothing more useless than cedars that have no needles for the first 10 feet.

The nice thing is they th lots of seed so the they will come back. the not nice thing is when you cut them what do you do with them? The skeleton will lay there for years.

Good question, I’m listening.

I cut them when they get too big or close together. I move them to strategic places where I need to funnel deeer.

 

[Howboutthemdawgs]

Cut some last off-season, let them lay and gonna burn this offseason. Some cedars are fine, too many is worthless.

 

[Cap'n]

I used to hunt a property that had an area we called cedar lane. What it was was 2 rows of cedars probably 50 yds apart. The cedars were used as a wind break for crops years, or probably decades ago. Now it’s full of NWSG. The owner told me not to go in cedar lane unles it was to get a downed deer. It was a sanctuary the size of a football field. You have the makings to duplicate that.

 

[Tamarack]

I'm with those saying keep them. I love them for the buck rubs as well- cut off any lower branches and they're one of the first places I look for them.

 

[bwoods11]

Cedars are incredible bedding... manage them. If 12-14 deer are bedding in them I’d be hesitant to overdo it !

 

[Mortenson]

I wish we had more. We've let a few areas of pasture grow unchecked, and the cedars are starting to come in nicely. Quite a few, I'd say 30-35%, already have the lower limbs removed from rubbing. I only cut cedars now for my rub posts. The old farm I used to be on had a small grassy area with literally only about 8 mid sized cedars and it was a total hot zone of deer activity. Just had that stink and look of a deer island that they couldn't help being attracted to.