Invasive, no wildlife value & most elm will die before they get really big anyways (dutch elm's disease). I'd prefer putting oaks in their place and using the elms to create a nasty thicket after I cut em otherwise. Partially opinion here but, in my case, I almost eradicate them, replacing them with desirable oaks, (I'm starting to do chestnuts now), wildlife trees or timber value trees and other good trees we need more of in IA.
bwese
Active Member
If you kill them, go back the next few years and you should have made yourself a mushroom honey hole, at least that is what happened in the areas I girdled elms. Tasty rewards.
I didn't replant anything as I was just opening up the canopy to get more light to already growing oaks and the timber floor. It has caused an explosion of growth in both areas.
The deer do eat on the hinge cut elms that have survived that procedure so they do have some nutritional value apparently. I have other hinged cut species they don't touch.
I didn't replant anything as I was just opening up the canopy to get more light to already growing oaks and the timber floor. It has caused an explosion of growth in both areas.
The deer do eat on the hinge cut elms that have survived that procedure so they do have some nutritional value apparently. I have other hinged cut species they don't touch.
Hardwood11
It is going to be a good fall!
Agree, Elm often die and they branch off and take up major space...better trees out there