Cheap browse and cover - easy too.

[Tap]

For us, cages keep the deer off the sprouts long enough to grow the new shoots big enough to handle being browsed. Without cages, we'd never get a result like the one above. ^^^^

Nice clump of sprouts, Tap.

Thanks. That is an extreme example of the stump sprouts from the ash I cut. Most are not quite that impressive and I think that the main reason for more moderate success I've had was due to not caging. Caging low cuts is definately the ticket. I believe that, with cages, I would see more examples like the one in my photo. And it really depends on adequate sunlight. Stumps in heavy shade usually don't sprout well.
I checked-out the link that Catscratch provided in post #11 (some interesting stuff on it) and I can definately relate to the Pollarding technique. Pollarding is just a high-cut coppice in order to keep sprouts out of the reach of browsing critters. What I like about pollarding is that caging is not needed.

I realize it may seem counter to putting browse within reach, but the way I do it is...
#1; Cut high. I'll hinge cut high if it's a tree species that hinges, otherwise I'll just fully cut it off high. The top becomes instant browse and some cover. And no cage is needed to protect new growth. This approach is desirable when doing large numbers of trees or when in areas that would be difficult to get caging into. Saves money on cages, too.
#2; Most high-cut stumps will send up multiple sprouts, so I return in future years and pick and choose which of those re-sprouts I wish to re-cut. This "cutting rotation" works really well with Black Cherry. I have a thriving cherry tree that I cut high 25 years ago. The reason I cut it high back then was because it had fence through the trunk that I didn't want to hit with the saw. I've cut the sprouts of that tree almost every year and they just keep coming back. I have some other species (Black Walnut??) that I cut high because of fence through the trunk that have never sprouted.

Then, there are species like Sycamore. If you just want cover, cut them low and don't worry about cages. My deer don't browse it and it stump sprouts profusely. I have a great example of that, but it's located in an area I don't want to disturb until our hunting season is over...I'll get a photo in a few weeks.

So, either approach requires labor. Coppicing requires the labor (and expense) of making cages. Pollarding requires no cages, but it does require periodic re-cutting of sprouts. But cutting sprouts is fast and easy with just a hand saw.
I think each approach has their place.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Tap - How high off the ground do you cut for your high cuts ?? I could try a few of the high cuts for cover / bedding just to see what results we can get. I'm gonna hinge some red maple this spring - I can try the higher cutting then.

We have no sycamore or walnut on our camp's property. Those 2 species tend to be in lower elevations - we're up higher. We're fortunate to have a budget that allows us to buy a few rolls of concrete mesh each year for caging purposes. And we have some guys who like to get to camp and mess around with such things. We don't cage everything we cut, but caging some helps the overall goals we want to achieve.

 

[tinytim]

I've been messing around with this sort of thing for a few years too, no cages, we don't have that many deer around, but these red maple clumps are a hit with the deer around here and the rabbits like them too. The tops make a lot of browse, and last for a few years, and every stem sprouts all kinds of stems from everywhere to go again. As Tap says, it works great with cherry too, but the rabbits tend to clean the bark off and kill them as fast as I can cut them so they don't last very long here

 

[Tap]

I remember you talking about ash and cutting the mature tops off to save the root system. Have you done anything with this idea? Is it working that you can tell?

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

I did cut a lot of them, and I have had pretty good luck with them stump sprouting

Tap - How high off the ground do you cut for your high cuts ?? I could try a few of the high cuts for cover / bedding just to see what results we can get. I'm gonna hinge some red maple this spring - I can try the higher cutting then.

I usually cut around 5 feet but I scrutinize the tree trunk 1st. If there is an existing off shoot, knot, or anything that looks like a natural sprout might want to grow, I cut above it.
If the trunk shows any disease or damage, I cut below it and on the same side of the damage if I'm hinge cutting it.
And everyone remember...cutting trees is dangerous enough when cutting low and using proper felling techniques. I never cut large trees higher than 3 or 4 feet. Trees less that 5 inches DBH (hand saw size)can be cut high if you are careful. Cut the big ones low and cage them.

SW Pa

 

[scott44]

I have had good luck with ash, EAB has wiped out alot of ash trees here so I started hinging some and was amazed at the survival of them. I have some that were hinged 3yrs ago and are still going.