How has logging changed your properties?

[yoderjac]

I'm not much at listening to all the youtube videos, TV, and podcasts in general. However, when I fly, I download some podcasts from MSU Deer Lab. The do a great job of translating science to application that the average Joe can follow pretty well.

I just got back from vacation and happened to listen to two relevant podcasts for folks with timber:

Pine Management

and

Hardwood Management

Thanks,

Jack

 

[Triple C]

I'm not much at listening to all the youtube videos, TV, and podcasts in general. However, when I fly, I download some podcasts from MSU Deer Lab. The do a great job of translating science to application that the average Joe can follow pretty well.

I just got back from vacation and happened to listen to two relevant podcasts for folks with timber:

Pine Management

and

Hardwood Management

Thanks,

Jack

One of the few podcasts I never miss is MSU Deer Lab. Thx for sharing!

 

[BIGDHunting]

We just had a logger come in and take a bunch of trees - Hard/soft maple, ash, cherry and most importantly hemlock. Getting some of the hemlock out was our biggest goal so we could try and get sunlight on the ground. He didn't take quite as much as we had hoped, nor did he clear/take any of the tops. The maple treetops are already being eaten by the deer which is great. Hopefully some of these spots will be used for bedding and encourage more deer to stick around.
My big question is about the "aftermath". Do you all recommend cutting the tops up and let them remain? Chipping? Drag them out and burn? If the goal is sunlight on the ground, there are some spots where although the canopy is now open, the ground is still covered by the treetops. Just looking for yalls opinions before we start all the work in the next week or two. Thanks!

 

[j-bird]

We just had a logger come in and take a bunch of trees - Hard/soft maple, ash, cherry and most importantly hemlock. Getting some of the hemlock out was our biggest goal so we could try and get sunlight on the ground. He didn't take quite as much as we had hoped, nor did he clear/take any of the tops. The maple treetops are already being eaten by the deer which is great. Hopefully some of these spots will be used for bedding and encourage more deer to stick around.
My big question is about the "aftermath". Do you all recommend cutting the tops up and let them remain? Chipping? Drag them out and burn? If the goal is sunlight on the ground, there are some spots where although the canopy is now open, the ground is still covered by the treetops. Just looking for yalls opinions before we start all the work in the next week or two. Thanks!

Leave the tops unless you HAVE to remove them. They won't last nearly as long as you may think, and they help add some ground level cover while the understory responds to the increased sunlight. Dragging them around tends to only lead to damaging other trees. If you need to move some to help guide the deer movement then that is fine, but otherwise they are not hurting anything and often times will serve a perches for birds (which deposit seeds for you) and act as a seclusion cage to some extent as well. As they decay they will provide lots of food and the like for other wildlife as well. The softer timber that was cut will rot in just a few short years.....

 

[Ben.MN/WI]

As mentioned above, in MN and WI it seems to be best to leave the tops. My place was logged a year ago and the downed tops prevent overbrowsing on the new growth that the deer would likely otherwise wipe out. The tree tops also provide immediate ground cover, so you will have some great bedding cover. The tree tops are great for rabbits and grouse as well.

 

[ruskbucks]

We just had a logger come in and take a bunch of trees - Hard/soft maple, ash, cherry and most importantly hemlock. Getting some of the hemlock out was our biggest goal so we could try and get sunlight on the ground. He didn't take quite as much as we had hoped, nor did he clear/take any of the tops. The maple treetops are already being eaten by the deer which is great. Hopefully some of these spots will be used for bedding and encourage more deer to stick around.
My big question is about the "aftermath". Do you all recommend cutting the tops up and let them remain? Chipping? Drag them out and burn? If the goal is sunlight on the ground, there are some spots where although the canopy is now open, the ground is still covered by the treetops. Just looking for yalls opinions before we start all the work in the next week or two. Thanks!

I had my woods logged 7 years ago. Mostly red maple, aspen, with some oak and birch. I was worried about the after math also. When they were done cutting there was so much brush/ branches around we could hardly walk around. Year 2 it was about 50 percent better as far as walking around. Year 3 you couldnt hardly tell it had been logged. I couldn't be happier the way it turned out. Alot of those tops will act like cages to protect the seedlings that will come up. I would leave you tops alone. I told my forester that one of my main goals would be to have more oaks. The oak seedlings are coming up everywhere. The deer seem to be leaving the oaks alone too. I think due to all the red maple sprouts and aspen that came up.

 

[bwoods11]

I can hardly tell they logged 40+ walnuts on my IA farm . I have logging roads, and some new growth . Otherwise, had very limited impact on 300+ acres.

 

[Brian662]

I can hardly tell they logged 40+ walnuts on my IA farm . I have logging roads, and some new growth . Otherwise, had very limited impact on 300+ acres.

I heard walnut prices were down recently, how long ago did you have the cutting done?

I was scheduled for a logging this winter that included some walnut and bur oak, it got pushed back to last year for other reasons, but maybe the prices will rebound a bit.

 

[bwoods11]

2019… here is a pic of the logs

 

[ruskbucks]

I heard walnut prices were down recently, how long ago did you have the cutting done?

I was scheduled for a logging this winter that included some walnut and bur oak, it got pushed back to last year for other reasons, but maybe the prices will rebound a bit.

My neighbor had around what I'm guessing was 40 -50 walnuts cut last year. He got$60,000. He said he had one that he got $10,000 for by itself. All of it was getting shipped to China of all places. Maybe the tension with China is why it your sale was pushed off.He had some really big nice oak that the buyer said they weren't interested in. He did buy them but only for $75 a stick.

 

[Brian662]

My neighbor had around what I'm guessing was 40 -50 walnuts cut last year. He got$60,000. He said he had one that he got $10,000 for by itself. All of it was getting shipped to China of all places. Maybe the tension with China is why it your sale was pushed off.He had some really big nice oak that the buyer said they weren't interested in. He did buy them but only for $75 a stick.

I think the Chinese have been driving the walnut market for a good while from what I understand. Sounds like China is down pretty bad with the covid stuff and their economy probably isn't driving the luxury wood market that much. The forester I'm working with told me prices were down about 30% from their highs.
Also the bur oak was down too, as the whiskey cask makers were driving that price due to limited supply last year, not sure if they found some supply or if the demand for their product is down?

 

[Brian662]

My neighbor had around what I'm guessing was 40 -50 walnuts cut last year. He got$60,000. He said he had one that he got $10,000 for by itself. All of it was getting shipped to China of all places. Maybe the tension with China is why it your sale was pushed off.He had some really big nice oak that the buyer said they weren't interested in. He did buy them but only for $75 a stick.

I've got about 15 walnuts that are ready right now and 3 or 4 are very good quality. This logging is going to clear the canopy for another 40-50 very high quality trees that need about 10 or 15 more years. I hope the market stays high for a while...

 

[buckdeer1]

I will say that when I logged my walnuts I left the tree tops where they fell and I wish I could log every year.I actually shot my biggest buck that year.My walnut all got sold to Midwest walnut in MO

 

[Hoytvectrix]

I will say that when I logged my walnuts I left the tree tops where they fell and I wish I could log every year.I actually shot my biggest buck that year.My walnut all got sold to Midwest walnut in MO

Sounds like you only had walnuts logged? Was that negotiated or did you only have marketable walnuts? We have probably 100 walnuts that are 18" or greater, with about half being over 24", and very few marketable other trees. We have been wondering about bringing in someone to do just the walnuts, but have heard it is difficult for just that species. We are located in Northeast MO.

 

[Ed Brodt]

I recommend using a certified forester. I had a couple of loggers come in and give me an estimate. They were a good bit different. We actually had three different foresters come in before we found one that understood what we were trying to accomplish. Two wanted to do a clear cut. We were interested in doing a select cut. The forester we used came in and marked the trees to be cut, he brought in 3 different loggers who bid on the project, he wrote up the contract with the high bidder, he visited the site a couple of times as they were cutting the timber and came in on the last day to make sure the contract was completed correctly. We got a check before the first tree was cut. The forester got a percentage. The foresters knowledge and experience actually brought in more money into our hands than either of the loggers had quoted. This was 4 years ago and the deer population is actually better than before. With the exception of a few brush piles you can hardly tell it was logged.

 

[Brian662]

Sounds like you only had walnuts logged? Was that negotiated or did you only have marketable walnuts? We have probably 100 walnuts that are 18" or greater, with about half being over 24", and very few marketable other trees. We have been wondering about bringing in someone to do just the walnuts, but have heard it is difficult for just that species. We are located in Northeast MO.

I had a few loggers in SW WI look at my place and say they weren't interested because they were only looking for walnut and white oak and there wasn't enough to suit them. That property has a lot of shagbark hickory, cherry, red oak, and a few white oak/walnut that are ready.

I would think you'd be able to find someone who is interested in 100 mature walnuts without much of a problem.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Leave the tops unless you HAVE to remove them. They won't last nearly as long as you may think, and they help add some ground level cover while the understory responds to the increased sunlight. Dragging them around tends to only lead to damaging other trees. If you need to move some to help guide the deer movement then that is fine, but otherwise they are not hurting anything and often times will serve a perches for birds (which deposit seeds for you) and act as a seclusion cage to some extent as well. As they decay they will provide lots of food and the like for other wildlife as well. The softer timber that was cut will rot in just a few short years.....

This. ^ ^ ^ Our camp has done this. A couple state foresters told us to leave the tops.

 

[b116757]

One of my coworkers kids had about 75 trees taken from his 40 acres in the past 2 months his portion was $30,000 or so. I had cruised that stand a bit with the young man and gave him my opinion. I would have cut maybe half that number of trees but he is building a new shop and adding onto the old farm house so I guess he felt cutting some of the smaller trees was worth it to him. A bird in the hand versus two in the bush and such.

 

[Howboutthemdawgs]

Geez I’m about to run down to the creek and put blankets around my handful of walnut trees to make sure they are happy.

 

[Brian662]

One of my coworkers kids had about 75 trees taken from his 40 acres in the past 2 months his portion was $30,000 or so. I had cruised that stand a bit with the young man and gave him my opinion. I would have cut maybe half that number of trees but he is building a new shop and adding onto the old farm house so I guess he felt cutting some of the smaller trees was worth it to him. A bird in the hand versus two in the bush and such.

What kind of trees? Walnuts?