Clearing Hemlock

[Savannah537]

Hello, I’m looking for some advice on a 1 acre area I have on my property that is mostly all mature hemlock. I have several food plots on the land and some good brush areas that deer often bed in. my property is only 23 acres in size and I do everything I can to make it a deer holding piece. We have had a lot of success with what’s been done already. Now I get to this one acre that appears to have little to no value for deer. There is only 25-30 hemlock over it but they completely block any sunlight. They also provide no thermal cover as they are too tall. It is basically wide open as far as you can see. My thought was to clear it completely opening the canopy and building some good brush on a 3-5yr plan. I have a 30hp tractor with loader and numerous chain saws to work with. The area is not easily accessible to bring the logs out and I’m not sure hemlock is worth it anyway. I’m not doing this for any kind of financial reason so I don’t care about getting money for the logs, it’s just for better habitat. I tried to add a picture but the file is too large for some reason so it won’t post. Thoughts, suggestions? Thank you.

 

[b116757]

I would clear some of the hemlock but not all for sure if you open the canopy by removing 75% of the hemlock and leave mother trees you may end up with very thick hemlock seedings in the area deer will utilize them heavily.

 

[chickenlittle]

If you live where it’s cold and snowy, I wouldn’t eliminate great winter shelter. I’d leave most but cut around it and some lines through it too break it up. Let it get thick around those islands for the wind break and visual cover.

 

[Savannah537]

The property is in NY, wind and snow galore, but I don’t see how there provide any wind or snow protection. They’re not dense enough for a wind block and the tops are 60 feet off the ground. In winter the snow piles up in there like anywhere else. It’s not like spruce trees with thick pine cover, these are tall and sparse and wide open.

 

[Buckly]

There’s more cover and thermal shelter in there than you may realize. I have many of these areas and in severe weather and even deep snows the deer will pile in and yard up in these areas. Deer also seem to eat the hemlock needles and browse on any seedlings they produce. Mature hemlock stands cannot be reproduced in this day and age with higher deer numbers so I tend to leave them alone and found them to be a great benefit in winter.

 

[Teeder]

It sounds like there isn't anything down low to benefit the deer.

 

[bigboreblr]

Where in NY?

Id cut into the west or south and do that for a 1/2 acre. If bunch of little hemlock pop up after 2 years, thin out some of the other 1/2 acre.

Low demse evergreens are great cover.

 

[Savannah537]

I’m in western NY, Cattaraugus county. For those agreeing with taking some down what would you recommend after dropping them? Leave the tops and push them all off to one side where the wind is dominant then just drag the big logs out and use them for firewood?

 

[Bowsnbucks]

You could leave the tops for a windbreak like you said. I think hemlock will fetch some money if they're big enough - not gonna make you rich, but maybe pay for some other habitat stuff?? Hemlock is being used for log houses here in Pa., bar tops, and big posts for supporting porch roofs, too.

Our camp has a section just like you're describing. Even with deep snow, there's less snow depth under our big hemlocks in winter. Deer bed under that high canopy, even if it's not perfect. Maybe log some off as others have said above, and see what young hemlock growth you get. You can add some Norway spruce or white spruce seedlings on the windy sides to help block the wind under those high hemlock tops too. We won't cut all of our hemlock down. One of the best spots for buck travel that I know of is a hemlock-choked small creek bottom. Dark, shady, and thousands of small hemlock seedlings / saplings in there under the big ones.

 

[Natty Bumppo]

I’m in western NY, Cattaraugus county. For those agreeing with taking some down what would you recommend after dropping them? Leave the tops and push them all off to one side where the wind is dominant then just drag the big logs out and use them for firewood?

I am actually having some logging done on a pure hemlock stand right now. About 2 acres. And like yours, mine is absolutely worthless for deer....a biological desert as far as anything that I hunt goes. No undergrowth. No cover. The deer DO NOT use it in the winter.

Yeah...buck up and split the hemlock for firewood. Or, if you're dragging it anyway, cut it to length and stack in a nice accessible pile and sell it to a pulp mill. You won't get a lot for it. But it will put some cash in your pocket.

I personally am going to make brush piles and burn the limbs and tops.

 

[b116757]

I’ve had hemlock milled into dimensional lumber I think my brothers enclosed porch ceiling rafters are 2x8 hemlock. We had stacked in the garage for years before he finally got around to using them.

 

[Savannah537]

Excellent response so far and I appreciate it all. Dragging the mature hemlocks out would be a chore itself . There’s no great access to the area. I’d have to trailer them out in 10ft sections to get to my driveway. That’s why this entire endeavor was never going to be about money as it would be a lot of work just getting them out. I am very excited about the open canopy and replanting though. I did an open field we had years ago in a hybrid willow shrub. All planted from cuttings. I planted hundreds of them from cuttings after clearing the area. I lost maybe 30-40% of them but now what’s left there is amazing. It’s super thick shrubs everywhere. I brush hog a cpl trails through them and then come September we stay there it. The deer bed and travel in there constantly. This is something that I’m looking to replicate in this useless hemlock area. It was easy to do it in an open field, the hemlock area not so much. Hence the questions..

 

[b116757]

If you get natural hemlock regeneration after cutting you will love that also deer very much like to browse young hemlock and it can come in very thick indeed in the right conditions. Get some sunlight to the ground and just watch what Mother Nature does on her own for a couple years.

 

[bigboreblr]

The logs aren't really worth much. A guy local to my job mills hemlock. He usually get wood for free, or cuts it down for free.

Hemlock is ok for outdoor boilers. Not the best wood for inside. MAking wind breaks would be a good idea. Most hemlock areas in the catskills or the hudson valley NY looks like a nightmare to drive a tractor through. Rock outcrops.

Northern adirondacks needs more thermal cover, but the deer would still value it by you. A little lime and fertilizer wouldn't hurt in that area either.

 

[BIGDHunting]

Excellent response so far and I appreciate it all. Dragging the mature hemlocks out would be a chore itself . There’s no great access to the area. I’d have to trailer them out in 10ft sections to get to my driveway. That’s why this entire endeavor was never going to be about money as it would be a lot of work just getting them out. I am very excited about the open canopy and replanting though. I did an open field we had years ago in a hybrid willow shrub. All planted from cuttings. I planted hundreds of them from cuttings after clearing the area. I lost maybe 30-40% of them but now what’s left there is amazing. It’s super thick shrubs everywhere. I brush hog a cpl trails through them and then come September we stay there it. The deer bed and travel in there constantly. This is something that I’m looking to replicate in this useless hemlock area. It was easy to do it in an open field, the hemlock area not so much. Hence the questions..

Curious about what you decided to do?

I came across this post looking for advice on the same thing. We have a couple areas on our land that are all hemlock and offer ZERO benefits for deer. Specifically, I am wondering if anyone has ever done hack and squirt on hemlocks? Not sure if it works or doesn't, and when might be the best time to do it here in Central NY.

 

[Tree Spud]

The nice thing about hemlock is that it grows in the shade and understory making good low cover. I would thin it, <30%, and see what happens.

 

[BIGDHunting]

The nice thing about hemlock is that it grows in the shade and understory making good low cover. I would thin it, <30%, and see what happens.

Thinning isn't an option for us. We had some Amish come in and take some, but we have a lot. All of it is old, mature trees so doesn't offer much in the way of the low cover and completely shuts out the sun, so the understory is just a desert. My hope is that I'll be able to do a bunch of hack and squirt or girdle and squirt soon before spring to see if that'll help.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

If you have a lot of big hemlock, it might be good for market timber. Hemlock makes great posts for things like patio roofs, porch roofs, pole sheds, etc. That is - provided it doesn't have "shake" in it. Shake is the separation of the growth rings in a piece of hemlock, making it weaker and likely not good for support timbers. Sawyers / sawmills can tell you if your hemlock has "shake".

As Tree Spud said above, hemlock does grow well in shade and makes great low cover. We have it here.

 

[Electrodigical]

Near me there was a grove of hemlock planted by the CCC during the depression. Dark and cool. A green pine needle and moss carpet, you could walk through it without making a sound. Nothing for the deer there, but so beautiful. Legitimately one of my favorite places in the world.

The state cut it all down some years back. What a shame. I miss it so much.

 

[BIGDHunting]

If you have a lot of big hemlock, it might be good for market timber. Hemlock makes great posts for things like patio roofs, porch roofs pole sheds, etc. That is - provided it doesn't have "shake" in it. Shake is the separation of the growth rings in a piece of hemlock, making it weaker and likely not good for support timbers. Sawyers / sawmills can tell you if your hemlock has "shake".

As Tree Spud said above, hemlock does grow well in shade and makes great low cover. We have it here.

We had a guy come take a look today, so we'll see what he says. It'd be great if someone wanted at least some of it since we have so much. Otherwise, we plan to figure out how to open up /thin/girdle & squirt off some pockets of it in order to promote better deer habitat. Appreciate all the replies.