Poplar Regen

[chucker66]

I have about 20 acres on my 80 that was harvested in 2012 before I bought the property so it is now 10 years old and starting to thin out. I am thinking about clearing some small spaces in there for deer bedding. They already bed in there but I think as this poplar grows they will move out of there. I still want to leave some for harvest in 10 to 15 years but am ok sacrificing a few spaces and adding some spruce, dogwood, and other things that deer like in their bedding areas. Has anyone ever done this before? I am torn between doing nothing and letting all the poplar go for more timber but I also think a few small areas inside 20 acres would hurt. Thoughts?

 

[BuckSutherland]

I have a 4-5 acre spot of poplar that is approximately 15-20 years old. It has 18-20 nice balsam firs right on the west side of it. The deer like to bed in the balsams, especially once the snow starts. Last two years I have cut down a bunch of the poplar immediately on the east side of the balsams. There is a little swamp right on the north edge of the area. I have planted cedars along the swamp and will be adding more along that edge. Planning to fill the whole pocket with more conifers. Its getting lots of sun in there now.


There are a few oak trees mixed in and plenty of regen. My deer really like the pocket cause it has a lot to offer (browse, cover, water). Last labor day I took a skid loader in there and took out a bunch of the old stumps, etc. Gonna burn the brush piles again after I add more poplar to them. I wanna spray some brush killer on a couple areas of the pocket in hopes of developing some grass and forbes. As the main pocket establishes itself I'm hoping to cut a little more down to the east for regen/browse.


I think deer love these pockets inside of what you describe. Probably much more if you were to make some travel corridors in and out of it as well. Line the travel corridors with spruce and pine. I would give consideration how you want the deer to move in and out of the area. Make the travel corridor go past a treestand.

 

[b116757]

I don’t think it would hurt you any to clear strips or some small pockets within the 20 acres.

 

[ruskbucks]

I think that is a good idea, I just wonder how thick and fast the poplar will come back? I had some spruce planted before my logging and the aspen took over and shaded them out. I tried to keep cutting them but I can't keep up. I think any change to a monoculture would be a improvement. The best spots on my land is where the did clear cuts to get aspen regeneration. Most spots came back so thick you can't hardly walk thru. The clear cut spots that were lower ground the aspen didn't regen well. These are the hotspots. They have a mix of tall grass/ weeds and shrubs. Deer bed and use these spots all day long.

 

[BuckSutherland]

^^^

Did you ever try mixing up some brush killer in a hand sprayer to control the regen?? That's what I am planning to do. I've never done it before. I see the power company control the road ditches under the power lines with brush killer all the time and it really smokes the brush. I plan on experimenting this year.

 

[ruskbucks]

^^^

Did you ever try mixing up some brush killer in a hand sprayer to control the regen?? That's what I am planning to do. I've never done it before. I see the power company control the road ditches under the power lines with brush killer all the time and it really smokes the brush. I plan on experimenting this year.

No, might not be a bad idea. Since aspen have a large connecting root system would the herbicides damage or kill other trees concected to this root system?

 

[BuckSutherland]

^^^

Gonna need someone a lot smarter then me to answer that question. I have zero experience doing this. I just saw how good it worked for the power company. They sprayed some stuff in my road ditch last summer. It only killed the areas they sprayed it on. The rest of my woods 3-5 feet away was completely unharmed. Certainly peaked my curiosity. Those grassy conifer bedding areas with good escape routes and nearby browse are killer bedding in my area. Won't take very long to spray a couple little pockets out and not much sweat either.

 

[chucker66]

Let us know how that works as once I have theses established I would want to keep them somewhat open as the spruce gets going. Thanks for the input. I will probably get started while the snow is still on the ground. Gives me something to do during the winter.

 

[Skeeter]

^^^

Did you ever try mixing up some brush killer in a hand sprayer to control the regen?? That's what I am planning to do. I've never done it before. I see the power company control the road ditches under the power lines with brush killer all the time and it really smokes the brush. I plan on experimenting this year.

I just listened to a podcast yesterday that the guest said that he uses gly in a backpack sprayer to make the trails he wants the deer to use through his thick aspen regen. Says he's been doing it for several years and it's working great.

Habitat Podcast #163 - Vince Pagano - 2 MI Bucks on 80 Acres, Habitat Plan & Layout, Food Plots, Success & Failures, Habitat Improvements Led to Buck Kills

Listen to this episode from Habitat Podcast on Spotify. Habitat Podcast #163 - Vince Pagano joins Jared Van Hees and Brian Halblieb on an exciting conversation regarding his successful 2021 season! Vince harvests not one, but 2 STUD mature Michigan bucks. We cover: 2 MI Bucks on 80 Acres in...

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[BuckSutherland]

I just listened to a podcast yesterday that the guest said that he uses gly in a backpack sprayer to make the trails he wants the deer to use through his thick aspen regen. Says he's been doing it for several years and it's working great.

Habitat Podcast #163 - Vince Pagano - 2 MI Bucks on 80 Acres, Habitat Plan & Layout, Food Plots, Success & Failures, Habitat Improvements Led to Buck Kills

Listen to this episode from Habitat Podcast on Spotify. Habitat Podcast #163 - Vince Pagano joins Jared Van Hees and Brian Halblieb on an exciting conversation regarding his successful 2021 season! Vince harvests not one, but 2 STUD mature Michigan bucks. We cover: 2 MI Bucks on 80 Acres in...

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I dont wanna use gly cause I dont want to kill the grasses and other forbes. If I use gly in my woods the thistles EXPLODE...... The grasses, forbes and flowers are what I want to promote.

 

[b116757]

I’d probably not use herbicide on poplar do to the root system. You could kill a lot more than you bargained on.

 

[chucker66]

I'm not planning on using Gly, just the chain saw as I want the sprouts to come back up and if I have to go back in every few years to thin them out so be it. My hope is to get enough spruce established and a good trail into the bedding (or 2) are that's its not so difficult to get in there and take care of things. But it might end up like RuskBucks and the poplar is to fast growing for that.

 

[b116757]

Mowing the trails is my method

 

[Wind Gypsy]

When you guys say "brush killer" what herbicides are you referring to?

Something like Garlon 4?

I have some triclopyr and Crossbow (2,4-d and triclopyr i think) for buckthorn.

 

[b116757]

All of those are brush killer

 

[chucker66]

So my plan is to measure about a 1/4 acre or 100'x100' and clear most of it out and then plant 10 to 12 spruce and red pine (I have tons of red pine seedlings on my place) on the North side of the clearing. This is also a south facing slope, so on the south side and on the inside I plan on some Red Osier Dogwood and Edleberry. Plus I plan to move some blackberries in there as well as I also have a ton of these. I am hopeful that I can to 3 to 5 of these this year somewhat near my food plots with trails leading in and out of these bedding areas. On the edges I hope to find a few larger trees that I can possibly hinge cut and even though poplar does not hinge well, it should give me some of the side cover I am looking for in the short term until the spruce and pine get going. I do plan to cage everything I plant except the red pine as the deer seem to leave that alone. Thoughts?

 

[ruskbucks]

It seems like a pretty good plan. I think I would drop the red pines thou. I would go with Norway spruce or balsam instead ,it wouldn't cost much and you will get a lot better tree for thermal cover. Red pines will just be trunk when they are older. The deer at my place hammered my red pine but browse any of my spruce. Maybe because you have so many reds They don't single them out to browse.They won't touch balsam which do pretty well in shade and do great when the get sun. I think a few rows of pines would be better than a single row. It should work as bedding, I have 300 scotch and spruce in my road screen and the deer bed in there all the time. I am in a non stop battle with aspen on the one end. They block a lot of light and the pines don't do well down there. I cut the new growth aspen every couple years but they come back so fast. Keep that into consideration that you will have to keep poplar cut otherwise they will choke out the pines. Once the pines get big enough they will turn the table on the poplar that don't like shade.

 

[chucker66]

I do have some Norway, Black Hills, White and Black Spruce ordered. I was just going to fill in with some of the Red from my property to get a jump star on the screening. Knowing how the deer in my area are, they will probably browse the Red once I transplant them. They can be Dicks like bear. Not going to necessarily do a line of pines on the North edge but more sporadic with an emphasis on the North side to get more sun on the Spruce. Thanks everyone for the input, it really made me think about how I will go about this. I am hopeful to have a bit more definition of where the deer bed on my property. The whole 80 was eventually logged off by 2015 so there is a lot of cover and brush at this point so the deer seem to bed just about anywhere.

 

[chucker66]

My buddy's dad has a bunch of red osier dogwood on his farm in central MN. When would be the best time to get cuttings for propagation? I was thinking about getting some in the next month and then starting them in the basement to plant this spring. Or would it be better to wait until spring after bloom? I did a search and the results were all over the place so maybe it doesn't matter.

 

[ruskbucks]

My buddy's dad has a bunch of red osier dogwood on his farm in central MN. When would be the best time to get cuttings for propagation? I was thinking about getting some in the next month and then starting them in the basement to plant this spring. Or would it be better to wait until spring after bloom? I did a search and the results were all over the place so maybe it doesn't matter.

I usually collect mine in spring before They bud out. Don't wait till they bud out. I have stored the fridge for a few weeks with a damp paper towel. Not sure how long they store like this, but pretty sure you don't want them popping out roots. Are you sure you want to start them in your basement instead of just collecting the cuttings and sticking them in the ground? That is a lot more work. If you get them going and they have roots, you will have to be careful not to damage the young roots. I would think you would have to dig holes and carefully plant each one.if you just stick them in you will damage the roots.