Project sunlight and extra perks

SD51555

5 year old buck +
Main idea: eliminate shade makers over my only red oak on the property.

Extra benefits:

In this pic, I’ve dropped all the black ash making shade, as well as a few balsam poplar. That has freed up sun for the birch, there’s an ROD stem coming out of that 3 stump clump, and there’s also a bonus balsam fir right there too.

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I used all the brush to create a pile to protect the red oak from deer.

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The oak

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All the black ash got chunked up and will go to the firewood pile in 18 months.

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Nothing wasted. Lots gained.


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Ash isn't doing so hot in NY, but that poplar will probably sprout back up. You put anything on those stumps? Even just a little diesel w/o an herbicide can do the trick. Used to add a little motor oil to diesel. Like 1/3 used motor oil.

A little sac regilious to many, but cut down a bunch of young black walnut next to my apple trees and foodplots this winter.
 
I bet some more oaks sprout too.
 
SD I'm curious are you finding any ticks doing these projects.
 
Ash isn't doing so hot in NY, but that poplar will probably sprout back up. You put anything on those stumps? Even just a little diesel w/o an herbicide can do the trick. Used to add a little motor oil to diesel. Like 1/3 used motor oil.

A little sac regilious to many, but cut down a bunch of young black walnut next to my apple trees and foodplots this winter.

I don’t treat any ash stumps. The deer stay on most of them and keep them down. I had one batch that regrew really well, but I cut a lot that year.


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SD I'm curious are you finding any ticks doing these projects.

I haven’t seen any personally yet, but the neighbors are finding them.


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That brush ought to keep the deer off the red oak. We used brush piles at camp to good results. Good luck keeping that red oak growing.
 
SD it must be that world famous thistle patch keeping them away lolll
 
Main idea: eliminate shade makers over my only red oak on the property.

Extra benefits:

In this pic, I’ve dropped all the black ash making shade, as well as a few balsam poplar. That has freed up sun for the birch, there’s an ROD stem coming out of that 3 stump clump, and there’s also a bonus balsam fir right there too.

90eb3b05d9840ccf160b1dffa113f9a9.jpg


I used all the brush to create a pile to protect the red oak from deer.

f135fff607989b4842cd8ab0855567ee.jpg


The oak

f3997c83739d398c9b3fd880b7bb4352.jpg


All the black ash got chunked up and will go to the firewood pile in 18 months.

d0dc530bbdbc5593ede72a5ff530b6c7.jpg


2d2c2e4e4e27318e769c38e414aae312.jpg


Nothing wasted. Lots gained.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Why not plant more Red Oaks ?
 
Why not plant more Red Oaks ?

I’ve tried spreading acorns. They didn’t take. I have only 1 in my property, and I think it’s because it’s too wet when it used to rain.

Anywhere a half mile from me, pin oak grows like weeds. I’m also drowning in bur oak, and those same pin oak areas have zero bur oak.


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I love to plant both Pin Oak & Bur Oak … I think you should try some Pin Oak & Swamp White Oak !
 
I will say when I have an acorn boom, the critters come like crazy, with the exception of deer.


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I will say when I have an acorn boom, the critters come like crazy, with the exception of deer.


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Any white oaks in the area, some places the deer become acorn snobs.
 
Any white oaks in the area, some places the deer become acorn snobs.


I am 1 mile from SD. There are no white oaks anywhere close to us. We have burr oaks and they drop at the end of August and are all cleaned up within a few weeks most years. We have some red oaks in the immediate area (mainly on higher rolling ground). A few places are LOADED with red oak, including my property. I shot my bear in 2021, in an area that is loaded with red oak. My brother in law hunts a few miles down the road in the other direction in a stand of red oaks and has above average deer hunting for our area. The red oaks are a huge draw for the critters in our area. We don't have any pin oaks within 8-10 miles, but when you get about 10 miles north pin oaks are everywhere.

I'm planting some white oaks this year to go along with all of my native reds. I also have about 50 SWOs that I have planted. Unlike SD my property has almost no burr oak so we planted about 50 of them the past 10 years. I have tried some Schutte's oak and burr oak gamble. Both came in plug form and are damn near worthless. No way in hell I will ever plant an oak plug ever again. Bareroots only. Direct seeding would probably be better, but I don't set foot in my woods from Labor Day until my rifle season starts.


I took a picture of a beautiful red oak this past weekend. Probably a veneer grade tree. About 20-25 feet of straight clear lumber on this beauty. I have about 12-15 of these and they can drop a truckload sometimes. I'd be very sad if something happened to this one. My nephew and I accidentally chased a bear and 2 of her cubs up this tree about 4 years ago.


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I learned some new forest words last night: pillows and cradles. This is a forester word for the dirt orientation left over after a tree has uprooted decades before. The tree is long gone but the hole and hump remains. I need to find some spots like that and plunk a red on some mounds.


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There is only one tree I want from seed. Not sure if it's local conditions or what. There is a shag hickory tree that holds nuts well into november. Not used to seeing that many that late. That tree might even hold them to december. Keeping an eye out for it. Right by my treestand and a few apple trees I planted there.

Tempted to gt some swamp whites at camp, but feel burr has a better chance in zone 3. next year it's oaks, grey dogwood, and a few seedling red splendor crabs at camp.


I do small slash piles like that at camp. About 2.5-3ft of 4ft tall 1/4" mesh to keep the rabbits away and them a messy pile of branches. I leave one corner a bit cleaner for pruning access.
 
Tempted to gt some swamp whites at camp, but feel burr has a better chance in zone 3. next year it's oaks, grey dogwood, and a few seedling red splendor crabs at camp.


I'm in zone 3. Swamp white oaks are surviving just fine. I have not lost one yet. The ones I have planted as plugs suck. The bareroots have shown better growth. I am not much of a fan of burrs cause they drop so early. SWOs usually drop about 6 weeks later.
 
I'd hoped that Schuettes would drop closer to SWO timeline than bur as the burs drop too early and are gone as @BuckSutherland pointed out. All the native stuff on my place is bur, red, and Pins. Some whites would sure be nice for hunting reasons. Pins seem to do very well and my ground doesn't drain particularly well so I figured they'd be a good option for @SD51555?
 
I am 1 mile from SD. There are no white oaks anywhere close to us. We have burr oaks and they drop at the end of August and are all cleaned up within a few weeks most years. We have some red oaks in the immediate area (mainly on higher rolling ground). A few places are LOADED with red oak, including my property. I shot my bear in 2021, in an area that is loaded with red oak. My brother in law hunts a few miles down the road in the other direction in a stand of red oaks and has above average deer hunting for our area. The red oaks are a huge draw for the critters in our area. We don't have any pin oaks within 8-10 miles, but when you get about 10 miles north pin oaks are everywhere.

I'm planting some white oaks this year to go along with all of my native reds. I also have about 50 SWOs that I have planted. Unlike SD my property has almost no burr oak so we planted about 50 of them the past 10 years. I have tried some Schutte's oak and burr oak gamble. Both came in plug form and are damn near worthless. No way in hell I will ever plant an oak plug ever again. Bareroots only. Direct seeding would probably be better, but I don't set foot in my woods from Labor Day until my rifle season starts.


I took a picture of a beautiful red oak this past weekend. Probably a veneer grade tree. About 20-25 feet of straight clear lumber on this beauty. I have about 12-15 of these and they can drop a truckload sometimes. I'd be very sad if something happened to this one. My nephew and I accidentally chased a bear and 2 of her cubs up this tree about 4 years ago.


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That's a great looking oak. What's the approximate diameter of that base? I'm surprised the loggers left that one when they logged the rest of your woods. Or at least it appears they logged the rest of your place as it is much thicker.
 
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