9 acre clearcut. What now?

[Maddog66]

Here is a pic of the appx 9 acres I had clear cut on my land this summer. It was over mature maple (bolts) and Basswood (pulp).

The last loads got hauled about 3 weeks ago and I’ve been busy dragging and planting the trails into WR and a clover blend (ladino, white, alsike). This fall and winter I’m going to be making a plot out there about 3x larger buy burning up all the slash and getting it ready for stumps to be pulled.

I’m expecting the regen to be (obviously) basswood and maple but there should be some aspen in there too. Hopefully not too much buckthorn and ironwood but it could happen, unfortunately.

So my question for the group is to ask you for some ideas to start on this year and next spring and in the following years to make this little piece as good as I can for wildlife. I think I definitely want to get a few more fruit trees sprinkled in (zone 3a) and I’ve often thought about planting some native browse species.

But please don’t let that constrict any ideas you might have! Look at it as a clean slate and throw out anything, please!

 

[Howboutthemdawgs]

I like the looks of that!! The answer I want to give is cut a break around it and burn in a year or two when you get some fuel and manage for early succession. But…I know that easier said than done. I would probably attack the resprouting trees aggressively and see if I couldn’t manage it that way. I just hate when cuts get turned into a high stem count mess. And based on drone surveys and boots on the ground, I think deer do too.
A plot on the edge closest to the balance of your land would also be good. Acre or so.

 

[Maddog66]

I wish I had a better pic to share, but at the bottom of this one is a small (1/4 acre) plot and shooting house with a couple of apple trees. I logged right up to the plot and this is where I’m expanding tillable ground. This spot is at the very dead center of my whole place.

I actually do have a good 12’wide clover road system completely encircling the whole thing….and I never thought of burning it. Love that idea! On a north wind I could burn from the back right out to the farm fields.

One thing I’ll do in the spring is find every spot where the machinery exposed dirt, and plant some turnips into it. I’ve done this in the past and got giant turnip bulbs in the fall….the size of small volleyballs…right in the middle of the woods

What else?

 

[BenAllgood]

I like the burning idea. I'd maybe even split it into 3rds or 4ths and do fire return intervals so you always have plants growing at different stages providing different requirements.

 

[TreeDaddy]

Anyone use herbicide to prevent regrowth of woody species?

bill

 

[Maddog66]

About once every other year I spray all my trail edges with gly to keep the brush beat back. But I’ve never tried spraying to manage regen.

But I watched a video the other day of drones spraying crop fields and now I’m thinking about what I could to with one of those and gallon of Garlon 4.

 

[omicron1792]

Anyone use herbicide to prevent regrowth of woody species?

bill

Yep. Many times.

I like triclopyr and imazapic. Will take out most of the tree regrowth and let native forbs and grasses dominate.

Then burn baby burn.

I see he has other fields nearby. I would make this deer bedding central and put a tall shooting house on the south side of it for hunting.

 

[Maddog66]

That’s definitely the plan Omicron. It’s gonna lay out perfect to get into and out of stands on a N or W wind. Not huntable on a S or E.

Can anyone recommend online resources to help me research managing this small piece?

This is a pic of the area from last fall before cutting. Trying to make that 9 acres a sanctuary and pull them out to the plots….

 

[omicron1792]

That’s definitely the plan Omicron. It’s gonna lay out perfect to get into and out of stands on a N or W wind. Not huntable on a S or E.

Can anyone recommend online resources to help me research managing this small piece?

This is a pic of the area from last fall before cutting. Trying to make that 9 acres a sanctuary and pull them out to the plots….

I’ll find you some stuff. I have done the same with about 50 acres of my property and it’s some of the best hunting.

I would throw some native grass seed late winter frost seeding it. Then after green up and bud break of trees spray all nine acres with 1.5 quarts triclopyr 4 and 6oz/acre of imazapic. Late summer spot spray any trees you don’t want that survived with triclopyr or basal spray them. Then in fall plant a bunch of forbs. I like imazapic tolerant so you can use 2-4ox of imazapic again next spring.

That’s pretty much it.

Read @Native Hunter stuff on here. He had done like 60acres of this stuff up closer to you. And has done without fire. I think he mows some and spot sprays mainly now. Roundstone seeds has good mixes of all these seeds. I usually copy what they have and source from cheaper, but 9 acres might not be too bad for your wallet.

 

[omicron1792]

Next season you can cut some rows through it before hunting season leading from your shooting house. Will stack them up!

 

[Native Hunter]

I’ll find you some stuff. I have done the same with about 50 acres of my property and it’s some of the best hunting.

I would throw some native grass seed late winter frost seeding it. Then after green up and bud break of trees spray all nine acres with 1.5 quarts triclopyr 4 and 6oz/acre of imazapic. Late summer spot spray any trees you don’t want that survived with triclopyr or basal spray them. Then in fall plant a bunch of forbs. I like imazapic tolerant so you can use 2-4ox of imazapic again next spring.

That’s pretty much it.

Read @Native Hunter stuff on here. He had done like 60acres of this stuff up closer to you. And has done without fire. I think he mows some and spot sprays mainly now. Roundstone seeds has good mixes of all these seeds. I usually copy what they have and source from cheaper, but 9 acres might not be too bad for your wallet.

His situation would be a little different than mine. I started with fescue fields, and he will be starting with a flush of woody growth. I think in time he could certainly go the NWSG route if that's what he wanted to do, but considering the cost of NWSG seed, I would probably do some work to get the land to where it could be drilled in with low competition from other volunteer plants.

He could also just try to manage the new flush of woody growth by spot spraying the undesirable species and promoting what he likes. He could also pick some areas that he wanted to have destination areas for deer and plant new species. It would be hard to say what would be the very best course of action, but taking the surrounding area into consideration would be a good idea.

 

[omicron1792]

His situation would be a little different than mine. I started with fescue fields, and he will be starting with a flush of woody growth. I think in time he could certainly go the NWSG route if that's what he wanted to do, but considering the cost of NWSG seed, I would probably do some work to get the land to where it could be drilled in with low competition from other volunteer plants.

He could also just try to manage the new flush of woody growth by spot spraying the undesirable species and promoting what he likes. He could also pick some areas that he wanted to have destination areas for deer and plant new species. It would be hard to say what would be the very best course of action, but taking the surrounding area into consideration would be a good idea.

Good stuff. All my stuff has been clear cut so triclopyr and fire are needed.

 

[BenAllgood]

In that last photo, it looks like there are a couple of clear cuts around and one really big one at the top right of the photo. If you have lots of bedding around, food anchors are good. If you have lots of food around, cover anchors are good.

 

[Maddog66]

That thing in the upper right is a large cattail marsh with black spruce / hemlock / white cedar around the edges.

It’s part of my property and deer cross it all the time to get to the plots. They also sometimes bed in there on small dry spots.

My goal with this cut was to provide a place on the center of my property as a sanctuary with lots of food nearby.

 

[Bill]

If it was silver maple you'll have to do something. I've got about an acre of silver maple saplings to 30 footers that's impassable.

 

[b116757]

Maddog in your area if there was any aspen at all in the original timber it will likely come up in heavy aspen root sprouts you will likely have a poplar slashing in that area it will be fantastic deer area for 10-15 years if you did nothing. That said I would likely open up at least a small kill plot in it someplace and plant your fruit trees along its east, west, and southern edges. Your area will lend its self to apple and crabapple trees don’t waste to much time on pears Ely and maybe some of the Russian types from St Laurence nursery maybe but I’d just stick to apples and crabs in your area. Use full size root stock and bury the graft so you don’t get graft failures do to the cold winter temps.

 

[b116757]

Full Planting Guide

Planting Guide Part 1: Pages 1-13 Planting Guide Part 2: Pages 14-17 Planting Guide Part 3: Pages 18-27 Planting Guide Part 4: Pages 28-36 Planting Guide Part 5: Pages 37-47

www.slngrow.com

Page 12 of their planting instructions

 

[Maddog66]

That’s basically what my logger said B116…..regarding the next 10-15 years. Yes, there definitely is / was a small amount of Popple along one edge, but the area was really dominated by red maple and Basswood.

Here is a pic I found from last fall that shows the existing food plot with 2 apple trees already there from the previous owner. But it’s tiny….less than 1/4 acre. This is the plot I intend to make larger by 3x. Today the clearcut goes right up to the edge of the clover.

I’m going to get better pics this coming weekend.

Thx all!

 

[b116757]

Plant Kerr, Kerr and maybe Kerr then Fireside/Connel Red same tree, excellent eating
Haralson parent of Kerr
Dolgo parent of Kerr
Northwest Greening

Maybe State Fair and Keepsake

My top picks for your area

 

[Maddog66]

Awesome! Those are going in my book for next spring. CR’s are my favorite…..I have a 4 year old on my little orchard in the yard right now!

FWIW, I sent a version of this discussion / questions and pics to my local forester. Neat young guy who I’ve gotten to know over the last few years. He’s a hunter and has been on my property a couple times now….. Really curious to see what he says too.

I don’t hate the idea of just basically letting it do it’s thing for the next 15 years, but I’m retiring before too long and I might need / want projects?

Want to hear my big idea for retirement relating to this? I want to buy a kick ass hi-flow skid steer with a forestry mulching head on it…then use it on my own land and do work for locals enough times a year to pay for it. Haven’t discussed with the CFO yet