Timber Stand Improvement

[MW22392]

Wanted to get some thoughts on my long term Timber Stand Improvement plan. The purple are “tornado zone” cuts I already have done, trees laid perpendicular so it doesn’t get traveled through. green boxes are regular TSI cuts where I have flush cut and then cut paths through the slash, hopefully bedding. Yellow fruit icon is where I’ve done 60 fruit trees, 30 each. Blue is where I would access the stands from. Red would be proposed TSI forrest openings. The access to north stand is bullet proof from the road with a south wind, the other stands are ehhhhh as I’m covering a lot of ground and ruling out the bottom part of my property by doing so, I haven’t spent much time scouting down there. South of me is public, north and West are both a good neighbor, east is my family’s property which buts up against public too. From what I’ve read is not to do TSI where you want to access from, as deer will bed in it. Any constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated on layout stand placement or habitat improvement plan. I’ve done small food plots near the fruit trees, but don’t have any equipment. I archery hunt only and would love to have a logger but there is no timber of any value. I plan to replant everything I cut with assorted oak and maple. Thank you.

 

[Ben.MN/WI]

Is your neighborhood mostly wooded or are there fields nearby?

If everything is wooded in your area, a couple 1/4 acre openings could be a big draw. Fruit trees are great, but they take a long time to produce and they need quite a bit of sun to thrive. I’d recommend creating some openings for new growth or food plots/ fruit trees. Ideally in locations you can enter and exit without spooking deer.

I would definitely keep most nice mast trees you have on your land and somehow work then into your long term plan.

 

[MW22392]

Is your neighborhood mostly wooded or are there fields nearby?

If everything is wooded in your area, a couple 1/4 acre openings could be a big draw. Fruit trees are great, but they take a long time to produce and they need quite a bit of sun to thrive. I’d recommend creating some openings for new growth or food plots/ fruit trees. Ideally in locations you can enter and exit without spooking deer.

I would definitely keep most nice mast trees you have on your land and somehow work then into your long term plan.

Pennsylvania big woods, no crops near by. I already planted the fruit trees, they are in full sun, I cut down any sun competition, I’m only 32. Sadly I don’t have a single mast tree on the property, I do have beech, but they have pretty bad beech bark disease. I’ve been planting numerous oaks. I just want to make sure I’m cutting in the right areas to help define movement and best access for hunting, I don’t want to make a mistake since once it’s cut there’s no changing it haha. We have no cover at all on the property.

 

[Ben.MN/WI]

How many acres do you have and is there any thick bedding on the neighboring properties?

Right now without any mast trees or fields, I'm guessing the deer are traveling randomly as it seems they can currently bed or feed anywhere. If you access from the north, I'd put a large open food plot (2 acres if possible) 100 yards from the north border. Or far enough back so it can't be seen from the road even after the leaves fall. I'd create several layers of bedding behind that - the does will probably bed closest to the food source and the bucks further back. Add a logging road type path between the bedding areas and the food plot and set up stands along that.

 

[SD51555]

Could you list off what you know you have for tree and shrub varieties that are naturally occuring?

 

[MW22392]

I have 47 acres, my family 130 right next to it that I also help manage. No think bedding nearby all big woods and no under growth. Yea the movement is so random, trying to get a handle on it. Thank you for the help. SD51555 the forest composition is mostly fire cherry (prunus pensylvanica), Black Birch, Striped maple and American beech.... Im slowly getting rid of all that aside from a few beech. There are a few black cherry, sugar maple and red maple I am leaving in hops of being seed trees, and planting many oak saplings as I previously mentioned. Whenever i see red maple seedings sprout I get hyped as I know those are top notch browse.

 

[Ben.MN/WI]

Any shrubs on your place like plum, hazelnut or dogwood?

 

[MW22392]

Bush honey suckle, multiflora rose and a few Japanese barberry haha I’ve been spraying as needed.

 

[Teeder]

What oak varieties are you planting?

 

[MW22392]

What oak varieties are you planting?

I have a mix of 200 white, red, swamp white and burr saplings that I will plant in march. All tubed, it would be cost prohibitive to cage them all.

 

[Teeder]

That sounds good. If you want a few that produce sooner, throw a few English and sawtooth in. Tubing is the way to go with oaks, imo.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Bush honey suckle, multiflora rose and a few Japanese barberry haha I’ve been spraying as needed.

Good things to spray! We killed a bunch of barberry at our camp this year, too. The trees you mentioned in post #6 above are undesirable species for the most part, with the exception of beech. Our camp has a bunch of black birch on our north slopes, and other than when they're young whips and saplings, BB is largely unused by deer. Grouse like to eat the buds though.

We've have good experiences with maples - red or sugar - when we cut them down or hinged them. The ones we cut were usually younger maples in the 3" to 10" diameter range that were damaged, crooked, or diseased. We didn't cut any big mature maples ..... good for seed production. But we DID cage the stumps with 5 ft. tall concrete re-mesh to protect the stump sprouts from being eaten to the ground. Cages were about 3 ft. in diameter. You'd be surprised how fast and dense those maple stump sprouts can grow. Once the sprouts get about 6 ft. tall, (2 to 3 years max.) take the cages off. Whatever young shoots & twigs grow out through the cages will be browsed by deer - but won't kill the stump sprouts. Free, fast regeneration for food and cover. Works with oaks too!!

What region of Pa. are you in? Our camp is in NC Pa. mountains.

 

[MW22392]

Good things to spray! We killed a bunch of barberry at our camp this year, too. The trees you mentioned in post #6 above are undesirable species for the most part, with the exception of beech. Our camp has a bunch of black birch on our north slopes, and other than when they're young whips and saplings, BB is largely unused by deer. Grouse like to eat the buds though.

We've have good experiences with maples - red or sugar - when we cut them down or hinged them. The ones we cut were usually younger maples in the 3" to 10" diameter range that were damaged, crooked, or diseased. We didn't cut any big mature maples ..... good for seed production. But we DID cage the stumps with 5 ft. tall concrete re-mesh to protect the stump sprouts from being eaten to the ground. Cages were about 3 ft. in diameter. You'd be surprised how fast and dense those maple stump sprouts can grow. Once the sprouts get about 6 ft. tall, (2 to 3 years max.) take the cages off. Whatever young shoots & twigs grow out through the cages will be browsed by deer - but won't kill the stump sprouts. Free, fast regeneration for food and cover. Works with oaks too!!

What region of Pa. are you in? Our camp is in NC Pa. mountains.

Sullivan county. Beautiful and very quiet area, but 25 or so years ago all the hardwoods died from an insect I believe so it’s all pretty much unmanaged clear cut regrowth. I’ve kept any straight black cherry with hope of a timber harvest one day, but they’re so far and few between, I don’t think it will happen any time soon. Yea I left one big maple this past winter and cut everything around it, this summer the floor around it was loaded with maybe 100 6” saplings, I was hyped to see that.

 

[Ben.MN/WI]

If your goal is to kill deer and the neighborhood is wide open park like woods, I’d keep the bush honeysuckle. It makes some great ground cover that will hold plenty of deer and small game.

Some of the best deer hunting woods I’ve seen had plenty of bush honeysuckle and buckthorn. During hunting season on our area, the thickest woods around usually holds the most deer even if they are invasive.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Sullivan county. Beautiful and very quiet area, but 25 or so years ago all the hardwoods died from an insect I believe so it’s all pretty much unmanaged clear cut regrowth. I’ve kept any straight black cherry with hope of a timber harvest one day, but they’re so far and few between, I don’t think it will happen any time soon. Yea I left one big maple this past winter and cut everything around it, this summer the floor around it was loaded with maybe 100 6” saplings, I was hyped to see that.

Sully - Nice county! I'll send you a private message.

 

[RGrizzzz]

I'm in Lycoming County. I suggest you reach out to the NRCS office. They'll fund a forestry management plan. Leverage that to dictate what to do.

Regarding spraying, you may also need to consider fern and Japanese stilt grass.

Controlling Understory Fern Competition for Regeneration Success

Dense understories of hay-scented, New York, and bracken fern can interfere with the regeneration of hardwood forests, threatening their sustainability.

extension.psu.edu

What do the areas you've cut look like now?

 

[MW22392]

Ok thank you, I will reach out. Yea I had a ton of ferns, i've sprayed here and there so it seems to be improving. I will also be planting lots of oaks this march so hopefully they get a head start on anything else, in terms of hardwood regen, very minimal, I think alot of the sluggish regrowth has to do with the thick layer of leaf littler. Burning would be ideal, but it seems like quite a project to burn in PA. I will have to take a closer look at the regen composition this spring, but I did have plenty of red or sugar maples sprout up which was very exciting. My biggest concern is driving up to my property, there is japanese knot weed growing at the bottom of the mountain and taking over the creek, hopefully with the dense state forest canopy it will keep it away from me. I am a landscaper by trade and that stuff is no joke.

 

[RGrizzzz]

Ok thank you, I will reach out. Yea I had a ton of ferns, i've sprayed here and there so it seems to be improving. I will also be planting lots of oaks this march so hopefully they get a head start on anything else, in terms of hardwood regen, very minimal, I think alot of the sluggish regrowth has to do with the thick layer of leaf littler. Burning would be ideal, but it seems like quite a project to burn in PA. I will have to take a closer look at the regen composition this spring, but I did have plenty of red or sugar maples sprout up which was very exciting. My biggest concern is driving up to my property, there is japanese knot weed growing at the bottom of the mountain and taking over the creek, hopefully with the dense state forest canopy it will keep it away from me. I am a landscaper by trade and that stuff is no joke.

Check PSU's extension website for invasive control advice. The fern article I linked has some. Here's a knotweed article. Generally what the NRCS advises mirrors PSU content.

Japanese Knotweed

Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japonica) is an invasive perennial and noxious weed in PA. This article will assist with identification and provides recommendations for control, including a management calendar and treatment and timing table.

extension.psu.edu

 

[Telemark]

I have 47 acres, my family 130 right next to it that I also help manage. No think bedding nearby all big woods and no under growth. Yea the movement is so random, trying to get a handle on it. Thank you for the help. SD51555 the forest composition is mostly fire cherry (prunus pensylvanica), Black Birch, Striped maple and American beech.... Im slowly getting rid of all that aside from a few beech. There are a few black cherry, sugar maple and red maple I am leaving in hops of being seed trees, and planting many oak saplings as I previously mentioned. Whenever i see red maple seedings sprout I get hyped as I know those are top notch browse.

Is striped maple not a preferred browse species?

 

[MW22392]

Check PSU's extension website for invasive control advice. The fern article I linked has some. Here's a knotweed article. Generally what the NRCS advises mirrors PSU content.

Japanese Knotweed

Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japonica) is an invasive perennial and noxious weed in PA. This article will assist with identification and provides recommendations for control, including a management calendar and treatment and timing table.

extension.psu.edu

Great thanks, none at the moment, hoping it is never a problem.

Is striped maple not a preferred browse species?

You are right, they browse it for sure, by getting rid of it I meant by cutting it down to let light get to the floor, I will let it stump sprout. The only stumps I am going to treat are the beech, they seem to sucker and make very dense un passable thickets, and are not very good browse.