DNR cutting standing trees ?

[isu22andy]

Was out in some public land in western Iowa shed hunting and came across 100s of trees cut with a chain saw twice horizontally about 8 inches apart but left standing . We were miles deep in there and off the beaten trail a long way too . What is the purpose of this ? I have a picture but can't post from mobile

 

[capehunter1]

That is timber stand improvement. You can research what it is all about here or Google it. In a nutshell, it increases the production and growth of desirable, or "crop" trees by eliminating crown competition. It is a fantastic thing to do for your timber whether you are managing for a healthy deer herd or you want to raise trees for lumber production. There are other types of timber stand improvement (basal area thinning, understory release for natural regeneration, etc) but you more than likely came across a crop tree release timber stand improvement.

 

[DannyBoy]

TSI for sure. Probably ironwoods, elms, etc. Girdling those trees will kill them and effectively open up the canopy to allow sunlight to jump start quality regeneration. Expect to see them using fire in these areas!