I guess the best way to find out is to just ask him.
I will let you know what I find out.
Question I asked:
Good morning !!
One question that I do have for you.
If I am girdling, hinging, and cutting down certain trees to release the crop trees,
and for aspen regeneration why can't I continue on?
The trees are gonna die anyway which is what we want?
I know I will not be able to get it all completed this spring but thought I could get
a lot completed before turkey hunting starts?
I guess I am confused whty I have to wait until summer or late fall / winter.
REPLY:
You are correct, if you are crop tree releasing you can just about do that anytime. The idea there is you are not killing the tree you cut, but you are setting it back and allowing the crop tree to take advantage of that extra space.
The majority of what you are doing is trying to kill or take out the undesireable trees you want out of the stand (Aspen management and edge feathering). You are more than welcome to cut them this summer or fall. Right now all tree cutting with the intention of killing is on hold because of sap flow. The chemical you would apply would not be taken up by the tree because sap is moving upwards now and the chemical would be pushed out and the majority of trees you cut would re-sprout.
That said aspen should only be cut when they are dormant to get the best re-sprouting. I did notice a few aspen you guys missed out there, so those would ideally be left till this fall. Obvisouly you are not treating the aspen, but the response is best if the energy (sap) is in the roots when you cut and with sap flow on right now, the time window is closed for right now.
I guess no hunting season for me this fall.
My response:
I see what you are saying and can see where girdling would not work.
I would think that hinging the smaller trees though would not be a problem.
I really do not want to kill them because there will be some resprouting (browse) that will
grow for the deer for awhile before they die? That will keep cover for the deer plus release the trees?
Biologist response:
You could probably do that on the edge feathering and get away wih it (which is only a couple of areas). If you don't treat the trees they will be back and not die! The aspens will create a lot of browse. Also letting that light to the forest floor will give you a lot of browse and brush to come back, hopefully desireable.
If your going to the effort of cutting an undesireable, for these instances I would like to see that tree die, right away to allow room for desireables. I think the brush you will get back from even just brambles will put you better off in the long run. Plus you would limit the amount of box elder reseeding that would go on. Typically if you cut a tree and stress it (and it is still alive) its response can be to put out a lot more "fruit" or in this case seed.