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Edge Feathering and bedding areas

nemohunter said:
I'm going to continue my tsi this winter and hinge cutting that I got your advice on last fall, my question now is I've got a lot of hedge apple trees that I'd like to get rid of, some are in places it'd take me a month of Sundays to get out of the woods though, others are on the edge of the woods and I'll probably let the neighbor take them for posts, but the ones on the interior I think I'd just like to kill and not cut down, what's the best method for killing them, or would you just cut them off, I read ringing them isn't that effective, appreciate the advice, thanks
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Osage Orange a.k.a. hedge trees are a pain and difficult to cut because they twisted together making girdling also difficult. They can be killed via girdle and herbicides such as Tordon, Crossbow and Remedy applied to the cut area.

Keep in mind the trees will be there for eternity and will be hard as iron, but new growth can flourish once trees are killed...
 
My two year old hinged timber has had an explosion of stick tights in it and it drives me nuts walking thru them. Do you think as the growth matures the stick tights will phase out? The multi flora is coming in pretty quick to, the deer still go in it but its miserable to walk in. I am hoping the brushy growth takes over.
 
Scott said:
My two year old hinged timber has had an explosion of stick tights in it and it drives me nuts walking thru them. Do you think as the growth matures the stick tights will phase out? The multi flora is coming in pretty quick to, the deer still go in it but its miserable to walk in. I am hoping the brushy growth takes over.
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It will slowly transition to brush but remember...miserable to walk thru is exactly what deer want, they are impervious to thorns...

If it's easy to walk thru...it's not thick enough ;)
 
Scott, I have the same problem with stick tights. Where ever I have done tsi they are there. I have come across multi floral rose and buckthorn as well. I try to kill them both, they are exotics and choke out everything else and I can not stand them. They might be great habitat for deer but I'd rather have gooseberries and raspberries growing instead. Just my 2 cents
 
Scott said:
My two year old hinged timber has had an explosion of stick tights in it and it drives me nuts walking thru them. Do you think as the growth matures the stick tights will phase out? The multi flora is coming in pretty quick to, the deer still go in it but its miserable to walk in. I am hoping the brushy growth takes over.
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One of the best deer foods out there are the tick trefoils. Always makes me happy when I walk out from the farm and have a bunch of those seeds on my clothes...I know there were some happy deer and not counting the benefits of them for pollinators and birds.
 
First, this is a great thread, thanks to all the participants and your vast knowledge on this sibject... :)

Our land is in middle Tenn. and consists of a stand of 50 yr old mostly hardwoods, red & white oak... this stand has been clear cut twice. I cleared about a 1/2 acre spot & planted assorted clovers and chicory.... along with a hinge cutting plan that has thus far exceeded all expectations, the deer immediately began bedding in the cuts....

My question concerns leaf matter on the forrest floor surrounding the hinge cuts.... will forbes, blackberries, and vines naturally take root when this leaf matter is present or should it be raked to expose the soil? Will dispersing pelletized lime in these areas enhance the break down of the leaf matter to expose the soil?

What is the best practice for leaf matter management besides prescribed burning??? TIA
 
BarnacleBob said:
First, this is a great thread, thanks to all the participants and your vast knowledge on this sibject... :)

Our land is in middle Tenn. and consists of a stand of 50 yr old mostly hardwoods, red & white oak... this stand has been clear cut twice. I cleared about a 1/2 acre spot & planted assorted clovers and chicory.... along with a hinge cutting plan that has thus far exceeded all expectations, the deer immediately began bedding in the cuts....

My question concerns leaf matter on the forrest floor surrounding the hinge cuts.... will forbes, blackberries, and vines naturally take root when this leaf matter is present or should it be raked to expose the soil? Will dispersing pelletized lime in these areas enhance the break down of the leaf matter to expose the soil?

What is the best practice for leaf matter management besides prescribed burning??? TIA
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Usually once canopy is reduced and sunlight allowed in, forbs will take off in an explosion of new growth but certainly lime and fertilizer would enhance growth.

Be careful burning hinged areas better to burn before tops are on the ground.
 
@Dbltree.... thanks for the quick response and the great pics throughout these threads...

Is there any truth that dispersing lime followed immediately by fertilizer that the lime will cancel out certain chemical actions of the fertilizer? I was informed to lime first, then wait 4 - 6 weeks before spreading fertilizer.

When fertilizing the hinged areas, what type fertilizer would you recommend?

TIA
 
Tim sent in a few pictures of his timber project .......

Very open timber with zero bedding cover



Before



After



Best to hinge when temps are near or above freezing and remember to be safe out there.
 
February 24th, 2014

Jesse and his crew have been busy doing a REAP funded crop tree release/weed tree removal using hinging as the primary means of releasing crop trees. REAP is a cost program peculiar to Iowa that allows us to do TSI and tree planting at little or no cost to the landowner.



Some species such as shingle and red oak, cherry and locust are likely to break off, while elm, hackberry, hickory and others hinge well. Those that break off will send up an explosion of stump shoots creating a plethora of new browse and cover






Whitetails will usually bed in openings behind downed tops



The second trees hit the ground new bedding is created






There is as they say, more then one way to skin a cat and so it is with improving timber and cover and most will do trick. Share your own version of timber improvement and cover enhancement to give others helpful ideas :way:
 
My dad bought this farm 9 years ago, most of the 'timber' is old overgrown pasture full of boxelders and elms that are around 20-25 years old. For the past 7 years I have done TSI in the winter and early spring. I have 3 areas of the farm that I work on each year, so each part of the farm has different stages of regeneration. Most of the tsi ground is then planted with trees in the spring.

In the first picture, the left portion shows what the area looked like before cutting, the right side shows after cutting.

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The second picture shows 'blocks' I have created to funnel deer around my stand so they cannot get down wind on a NW wind.

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In the third picture in the background you can see the tree tubes housing the trees that were planted last spring, tall grass, gooseberry, and raspberry usually explode after the canopy is opened up.

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Predator control

My son loves trapping, great hobby as is predator calling but many people falsely believe they can increase fawn recruitment via trapping and hunting



Predators respond however by having larger, healthier litters, so the answer is providing exceptional cover



In the timber this can be done quickly using hinge cutting, timber stand improvement and in some cases logging and clear cutting



Creating thick cover not only allows does to hide fawns better but dramatically increases the number of prey species. In open timber mice and rabbits are almost nonexistent



But they abound in thick, brushy environments, providing a plentiful food source for predators



Fawn recruitment rises greatly when you get out the chainsaw but by all means enjoy trapping and hunting predators as well ;)
 
Well I contacted Jesse a few months ago to come to my Illinois farm and help create some bedding areas, review my timber and help me create a plan ! This week end we created 2 really good bedding areas and helped release my better oak trees to produce more acorns as well.







I learned more in 2 days about my timber than I would have the next 10 years, how to funnel, hinge , release oak's, create brows. One thing Jesse told me that really hit home to me was If you don't have rabbit's on your farm you don't have deer and I don't see no Rabbits !:D After all the brush and mess we created I think I'll have plenty of Rabbits and deer too !!! Excited for this up coming season. Had several neighbors stop by some while Jesse was there and some after wanted to know what I was up to. I think chain saw sales are going to go up in my area..
 
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Jbohn said:
Well I contacted Jesse a few months ago to come to my Illinois farm and help create some bedding areas, review my timber and help me create a plan ! This week end we created 2 really good bedding areas and helped release my better oak trees to produce more acorns as well.



I learned more in 2 days about my timber than I would have the next 10 years, how to funnel, hinge , release oak's, create brows. One thing Jesse told me that really hit home to me was If you don't have rabbit's on your farm you don't have deer and I don't see no Rabbits !:D After all the brush and mess we created I think I'll have plenty of Rabbits and deer too !!! Excited for this up coming season. Had several neighbors stop by some while Jesse was there and some after wanted to know what I was up to. I think chain saw sales are going to go up in my area..
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I cannot recall ever reading or hearing that before, but I think that is very sound advice. When I bought my farm in SE Iowa 12-13 years ago there were NO rabbits, which surprised me. Now, several years later, AND we now have a bobcat population that doesn't mind a rabbit meal now and then, we have quite a few rabbits.

They are really a byproduct though of all of the habitat work we have done there over the years. That is a good rule of thumb to keep in mind.
 
Jbohn said:
Well I contacted Jesse a few months ago to come to my Illinois farm and help create some bedding areas, review my timber and help me create a plan ! This week end we created 2 really good bedding areas and helped release my better oak trees to produce more acorns as well. http://iowawhitetail.com/forum/photo_popup.php?e=vB_Editor_001# http://iowawhitetail.com/forum/photo_popup.php?e=vB_Editor_001# http://iowawhitetail.com/forum/photo_popup.php?e=vB_Editor_001# I learned more in 2 days about my timber than I would have the next 10 years, how to funnel, hinge , release oak's, create brows. One thing Jesse told me that really hit home to me was If you don't have rabbit's on your farm you don't have deer and I don't see no Rabbits !:D After all the brush and mess we created I think I'll have plenty of Rabbits and deer too !!! Excited for this up coming season. Had several neighbors stop by some while Jesse was there and some after wanted to know what I was up to. I think chain saw sales are going to go up in my area..
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How do I contact Jesse
 
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