aspen regeneration question

[JFK52]

I have seven smaller groves of aspens on my land in Portage county WI. I do mean small groves. The biggest area might be 1/8 of an acre or smaller. Most areas are a lot smaller that that. These trees have reached the height where they need to be cut down so they can regenerate and provide browse for the deer. My question is: what is the best time of year to cut these trees so that I can get the maximum amount of regeneration from the clear cuts of the aspens? Will cutting them in the early winter provide a natural food supply for the deer from the fallen trees? Should I do all at once or stagger the cuts? Maybe three one year and four the next? Does one just leave the cut trees to rot away or do they need to be hauled out? I know very little about aspens. They are on my land so I should have a management plan for them.

 

[Satchmo]

I would cut all of them in the dead of winter. I've read where they have the maximum stored energy in the root system then and will produce much stronger regen. Heavy soil disturbance will help as well. Dragging the felled trees out of there in the spring would disturb it enough and also allow more sunlight to reach the ground, which would help regen as well.

 

[wiscwhip]

Satchmo has some good advice above with one caveat. If you like grouse, I would not cut all of the mature groves at once. Cut the various "patches" in small groups, a couple this year, a couple a year or two down the road, in different scattered locations, but make sure to leave a few of the healthiest mature trees in each grove standing for the grouse, because they like to feed on the new bud tips up in the tops of the standing trees during the winter on warmer days.

 

[JFK52]

Yes, I like grouse and have them on my land. Not many, but a few. So thanks for that advice on staggering the cuttings of the aspens. I have 30 mature apple trees on my land also. I have noticed that when there is snow on the ground the grouse really like these apple trees as a food source. A lot of them keep some of their apples until after December. Even if I flush them by the apple tree, they do not fly very far away and usually land in the upper branches of a nearby red pine tree. I do not hunt the grouse on my land because of the small population. I just enjoy seeing them and hearing their drumming.

 

[Big Snow Man]

I clear cut about 10 acres of aspen every 8 to 10 years for habitat cover in the winter with great success. Unfortunately each time it gets harder and harder to find someone to do it. You won't get much for the wood now days the mills get farther apart and they aren't buying as much for aspen.

 

[ruskbuckss]

I had my woods logged last winter. Everywhere there was aspen growing the forester marked the area to be clear cut. They were all around 1-2 1/2 acres. The regrowth in these areas is unbelievable. These pictures are from July. Some of the aspen are 8ft tall now in less than a year. The deer are browsing them like crazy, which makes me think that if you do only one or two a year that the deer might wipe them out. We left the tops scattered all over to act like cages to protect the young trees. My friend did a 1 acre hinge cut where he pulled all the branches off to the sides, the area never took off. He then did a "tornado" hinge cut are where the trees were dropped and left all over. This area has excellent regrowth. The reason why the one never made it was the young trees had no protection. Just like a uncaged apple tree.

 

[JFK52]

I don't have enough aspen on my land to even consider selling them as timber. I just want to decide if I should clear cut all the small groves this winter or stagger my cutting of them over two years.
"ruskbuckss" That is exactly the kind of regeneration that I am looking for when I cut my small aspen groves. If it works better to not haul off the cut trees, I am all for that. It will save me time and money and get a better result. What is the advantage of doing hinge cuts as opposed to just cutting the trees down and letting them lay on the ground?

 

[Bowsnbucks]

I can tell you from first-hand experience, deer and grouse LOVE new aspen growth. The grouse also need the taller aspen for winter food & into early spring. One of the areas I've hunted for years did some clear cutting of big aspen ( though not all the big trees ) and the new growth looked like bristles on a hair brush from 200 yds. away. Deer bedded in there and bedside browsing it, the bucks had rubs all over in there !! Beds and droppings everywhere.

I'd stagger the cuts as others have advised, if it were me.

 

[Tree Spud]

I have seven smaller groves of aspens on my land in Portage county WI. I do mean small groves. The biggest area might be 1/8 of an acre or smaller. Most areas are a lot smaller that that. These trees have reached the height where they need to be cut down so they can regenerate and provide browse for the deer. My question is: what is the best time of year to cut these trees so that I can get the maximum amount of regeneration from the clear cuts of the aspens? Will cutting them in the early winter provide a natural food supply for the deer from the fallen trees? Should I do all at once or stagger the cuts? Maybe three one year and four the next? Does one just leave the cut trees to rot away or do they need to be hauled out? I know very little about aspens. They are on my land so I should have a management plan for them.

You should do some more research ... Aspen will regen when cut but timing and location of cut is really important.

In most areas of Wisconsin, the cut should be in the February time range. You want to make sure the cut site gets lots of direct sunlight, with crowding or shadowing trees/brush across the SE to SW sun span removed.

As stated above, the trees energy moves into the roots so allowing lots of sun and heat as spring appears is critical. There are lots of articles online or talk to a local forester. Clearing the southern exposure and size of cut can be very important.

 

[ruskbuckss]

View attachment 10923 This is a picture of stump sprouts off a maple stump. There is some browsing but this one is a head of the deer. They seem to prefer the aspen and maple

I don't have enough aspen on my land to even consider selling them as timber. I just want to decide if I should clear cut all the small groves this winter or stagger my cutting of them over two years.
"ruskbuckss" That is exactly the kind of regeneration that I am looking for when I cut my small aspen groves. If it works better to not haul off the cut trees, I am all for that. It will save me time and money and get a better result. What is the advantage of doing hinge cuts as opposed to just cutting the trees down and letting them lay on the ground?

The advantage my friend had with his hinge cuts was that the area he hinged was made into a nasty thicket that the deer loved. His woods was converting from a once thick aspen forest to a now somewhat thin open hardwoods forest. The hinge cuts protected the small hardwood trees. I would clear cut your aspen if you want them to regen the best, no sense doing hinge cuts. I was just making a example of how important it is to leave the tops to act like cages to protect the trees. Like tree spud said,the aspen like sunlight, so hinging might actually hinder the aspen if it blocks the sunlight. I have noticed in my soybean plots that if I miss a spot when spraying. The weeds mix with the beans and the deer leave that spot alone, but will hammer the areas that are just all beans. It's the same in the woods, a super clean clear cut with no tops, makes easy pickings for the deer.

 

[mthompson]

Cutting aspens for regenerative growth is best done in late winter, and removing a lot of the other understory will help get sunlight to the ground. Sunlight on the ground is key, as this causes the plant (a large clonal mass) to send chemical signals to the root structure to begin forming and growing at budding sites along the root system.

If you really want aspen to take off, clear cut it and then burn the understory....you won't be able to walk through by August.