Prickly Ash

[cbw]

What is everyone's posture toward prickly ash on your farm. We have a lot of it popping up recently. It is native, so when I asked our state forester, she said it's good cover, so she doesn't have a problem with it. It doesn't look like it is a preferred browse for deer. How helpful is it for deer, turkey and quail? Appreciate your thoughts.

 

[Telemark]

I'm so overrun with invasives in Ohio that I would welcome anything native. From the photos, it looks like good cover for deer and birds.

Wikipedia says butterflies love it, butnit can get tall, so it might need some management. Personally, it would be low on my list of things to deal with.

 

[Brian662]

It's nasty for traveling through and thicket forming. Good security cover for deer, does utilize it during the rut to hide from bucks. Light to moderate browse on the young tips around here.

Overall I'm neutral on it, would be a positive if it didn't slice your arms up like you were in a knife fight.

 

[somich]

Likes been said it's thicket forming, good habitat and tough to get through.

I've got lots and it seems like a combination of prickly ash and MFR would make a good property line security method. Deer will be able to get through, people not so much.

 

[homerj]

Prickly ash is high protein spring chow

 

[somich]

Prickly ash is high protein spring chow

I didn't know that but, the deer here seem to eat that and MFR.

 

[Ben.MN/WI]

It is decent small game cover, and can form a thick understory for deer bedding. I keep it around as it is better than having an open woods with no ground cover.

 

[BC Buck]

HATE it and destroys oak regeneration. In my timber creates thick midstory nothing grows under becoming a monoculture. If do timber harvest or TSI will end up with 100% prickly ash. In timber, cuts down on the native brows making poor deer habitat. It is very susceptible to herbicides but with insane stem count makes tuff to control. This yeas buying Stihl sr 450 and trying to take back habitat. Spots with prickly ash hold a fraction of deer compared to timber with good understory. Been looking at this stuff for over 30 years not knowing what to do. Wish me luck.

 

[BC Buck]

It is decent small game cover, and can form a thick understory for deer bedding. I keep it around as it is better than having an open woods with no ground cover.

Much good videos on you tube for timber management for deer. Warm up the chainsaw!

 

[Brian662]

HATE it and destroys oak regeneration. In my timber creates thick midstory nothing grows under becoming a monoculture. If do timber harvest or TSI will end up with 100% prickly ash. In timber, cuts down on the native brows making poor deer habitat. It is very susceptible to herbicides but with insane stem count makes tuff to control. This yeas buying Stihl sr 450 and trying to take back habitat. Spots with prickly ash hold a fraction of deer compared to timber with good understory. Been looking at this stuff for over 30 years not knowing what to do. Wish me luck.

I have it on good authority that it can't hand the heat from prescribed fire. If you have oak over story, you may have enough fuel to at least top kill the prickly ash.

 

[Ben.MN/WI]

The best bedding area on a farm I hunt in SE MN is a couple acres of thick prickly ash growing under walnut trees. Deer have no issues moving through a mature prickly ash thicket, but the younger patches on the edges tend to be shorter and harder to walk through.

I'd rather have wild plum, dogwood and hazelnut as an understory, but in my experience prickly ash bedding areas can hold deer.

 

[BC Buck]

I have it on good authority that it can't hand the heat from prescribed fire. If you have oak over story, you may have enough fuel to at least top kill the prickly ash.

I could see the thin bark and fire would work well. I dont have the manpower to do woods burns.

 

[cbw]

I have it on good authority that it can't hand the heat from prescribed fire. If you have oak over story, you may have enough fuel to at least top kill the prickly ash.

We did a controlled burn — unfortunately, not enough fuel on the ground. Burned right up to the prickly ash patch and died. However, it did kill a bunch of white mulberry.

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[BC Buck]

We did a controlled burn — unfortunately, not enough fuel on the ground. Burned right up to the prickly ash patch and died. However, it did kill a bunch of white mulberry.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That looked like high fire. Did it top kill your PA?