Mature White Pines

[G-Vac]

After doing the food plot thing a few years now, I realize it's time to start working on my natural habitat. Specifically, creating areas of cover. I've got plans for some aspen clear cuts this winter, small areas though, as most of our stands are less than an acre. What I've been thinking about, and stressing over though, is an L shaped area of about 4 acres that's covered in mature white pine, along with some slightly younger maple and cherry. The white pines appear to be natural trees, rather than planted, and are probobly over 75 years old. White pine weevil is endemic in my area, so all these trees are twisted, and most are multi-leadered, so there's no timber value to them. Deer bed in this area in mid winter, but never during hunting season because it's just to open. I was thinking about taking down "clumps" of 4 or 5 of these trees in various spots just to ad some structure for the deer to feel comforatable with, but I'm worried I will ruin the winter thermal cover. Any ideas or comments? I also have to mention my motto has always been that it takes 50 years to grow what took five minutes to cut down, so yes I am stressing.

P.S. I've learned more about food plotting in the 18 months I've been aware of this sight, than I would have learned in a lifetime on my own. So I appreciate the input. Thanks!

[bishs]

Those trees must be prettly large. I would consider just girdling the trees. Kill them where they stand. This will allow the light in, to allow planted seedlings to grow, and start regeneration of other trees. Just cut through the bark layer, all away around the tree. Then I would plant spruce, maybe a mixture of white and Norway. The norway are the fastest growing spruce, whites grow nearly as fast. They will keep their lower limbs with age, good cover all the way to the ground. They are also not browsed be deer, unless they are very stressed. My 11 year old Norways are about 15 feet tall, planted as seedlings.

[Brad Gehman]

If you are going to girdle a tree, do it three times, once sometimes is not enough, as I've found.

[ThumbBum]

G-Vac
Ive got a similar problem in several places on my property, although with a mix of pine species that were deliberately planted many years ago.

The two older areas are irredular in shape and contain trees about the sizes of the ones you mentioned. The cover is so open at ground level that you can almost walk upright though it. I almost never see deer or deer sign in these areas.

The newer and larger area is make up of trees about 30-45 feet high and was deliberately planted about about40 years ago (I have an areal photo taken in 1967 and it shows this area as a cultivated filed) The deer use this area in the winter for thermal cover and somethimes as a staging are to cross the road to Ag land. The trees also serve as a screen between my property and the road. So the problem here is even more complicated, how do I improved habitat without ruining winter cover and loosing my screen.

Like your situation these trees have no comercial value so a logger is not an option.

After a lot of research and posts on this board I have decided to begin making irregualary shaped clearcuts in these areas. Evey winter starting this one I will clear several small areas parallel to the road. Imagine a series of dashed lines with the dashes and openings alteranating in every other line.
This way the cover stays connected and I keep my screen. I will also make up some pallet/pine branch brushpiles around the edges of each clearing as addition cover for smaller animals.

I may wait a season or two after the first cuts to see how they regenerate. If nothing good regrows in these clearing then I will plant some spruce variant that will not lose its bottom branches as it matures.

It will take a while, but it should keep this area in good cover without stripping it completely.

PS
While the trees may have no comercial value, there is a possible benifit to harvesting them as opposed to girdling them. My future habitat plans call for a lot of tree thinning that I havent been able to interst comercial loggers in. Since you can still move firewood SOUTH I have been looking into home heating options that involve wood. They range from wood furnaces, to boilers, to special fireplace inserts that make your existing fireplace act like an efficent woodburing stove. Sure its a lot more work, but if I can cut 50%-75% off my gas bill then its well worth it.

[Pinefarm]

G-Vac, just make sure you clear enough around your poplars when you cut them this winter. Don't make them too small. You can clear cut at least 100 feet past the outside poplars. Basically make the clear cut about twice as big as you think it needs to be. Otherwise, you're not maximizing what you should get for regrowth. See what I mean?
Look at this link about how to make a poplar clear cut, it's good...
http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/naturalresources/components/3473-43.html

Here's more info than you need...
http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/naturalresources/DD3473.html

[G-Vac]

Bishs, Brad - you're right some of those trees would be downright frightening to drop! While I want as much structure on the ground as possible, I may be better of girdling some of the scarier ones.

ThumbBum - it sounds as if our situations are nearly identical! How big are the "dashes" you plan to clearcut going to be?

Bob - great link! I saved it to my favorites.

Thanks Guys!

Anyone else with ideas or input, I'd love to hear from you!

[Cherokee]

G-Vac

I don't know about the parasite you have there, but I'd be hard pressed to kill maturing whites. The ones we have are majestic and have "value" in their beauty. I know that you are looking for answers as it pertains to deer management ; I'd think twice before whacking them though....

[G-Vac]

Cherokee - that's why I'm stressing over this! The location of this stand would make excellent holding cover if it were thicker, but as I mentioned earlier it takes fifty years to grow back what took five minutes to cut down. I'm looking to collect as much information as possible before taking any kind of action. FYI - the white pine weevil (aka tip worm) typically doesn't kill the tree, but attacks the trunk leader as the tree grows, killing the top of the tree. This results in twisted and usually multi-stemmed trees that are short and bushy looking. Not as majestic as uninfected trees, but better cover, particularly when young. It's so endemic in my area that almost no white pine escapes it.

[Andy]

this might be an option....collect as many "post xmas" Christmas trees and make trips out to your property with all the newly acquired structure...placing the christmas trees under the existing whit pines. This would be lots and lots of hard work but might be what you're trying to accomplish.

andy

[G-Vac]

Andy - that's an idea, I've never thought of "importing" cover!


For anyone interested here is a link showing damage caused by the weevil, actually mild compared to my trees!
http://www.pfc.forestry.ca/entomology/weevil/damage_e.html

[Dutchman]

I cut down 14 pine trees that had an average age of 150 rings. I had them cut into lumber and then after a couple years of drying, plained and tongue and grooved them. I then finished my basement with the wood. I wouldn't cut them down and let them go to waste. There is always a value in the wood. Whether it be cash or sentimanal.

[mike hartges]

If you girdle your large trees and plant young spruce in those areas, you may want to consider using 4 year old transplant trees. They are more expensive, but they'll provide cover qiucker than using seedlings.

[ThumbBum]

I agree that cutting down beautiful mature trees can be a little difficult. My first aspen clearcut was completed last winter and my wife, who was with me the first time I saw the area logged, said I looked like that crying indian from the old "dont litter" comercials.

If there was a way to preserve old growth trees and still improve habitat I would do it no matter how much work it was. The sad fact was stated very well in that book North County Whitetails "a chainsaw is a deer's best friend"
Mature trees are beautiful , but so are mature deer.

For my part, I have preserved about 10acres of old mature hardwoods as off limits to logging. This is a beautiful old stand and I can justify leaving it alone because it is prime turkey roosting habitat year after year.
Everything else is fair game.

G-Vac
I will have to experiment with the size of these openings in the pines that parallel the road. I am goint to try and orient them so that the run East-West for optimum sunlight reaching the ground, even though the road runs more or less North-South. My current thinking is about 50' x 75'.

Dutch
Could you elaborate a little bit on how you processed those trees. DId you use one of those chainsaw attachments to cut the logs into rough boards or did you hire someone with a Woodmiser. I would love to be able to process my larger pines into panels to finish the inside of my cabin. I had one guy set up to do it for me with a portable sawmill if I cut and hauled the trees to a nearby opening, but he backed out. I would love to do it myself, but those woodmisers cost quite a bit. I have considered a chainsaw attachement commonly known as an Alaskan Saw Mill, but I dont know anyone who has used one.

[Dutchman]

ThumbBum, I had access to a tractor, so I drug all the logs,(Cut to 9') up to where I could bring in a portable sawmill. I had it all cut into heavy 1" thickness. I cribbed them in a covered spot for 2 years and let them air dry. I then brought them into the basement for 6 months or so. I have a wood shop set up in the basement. It was a lot of work! Ripping the boards, planing the boards and the the Tongue and groove. You set up the machines to do one step in the process and do all the boards then on to the next. by the time you are done, you have handled each board at least 12 times. :yikes: But the results are worth it!!

[Playin' Hooky]

I agree that cutting down beautiful mature trees can be a little difficult. My first aspen clearcut was completed last winter and my wife, who was with me the first time I saw the area logged, said I looked like that crying indian from the old "dont litter" comercials.

"An aspen clearcut is like a corn field on a 40 year rotation"

-Northern MI logger