Hey guys I have about a quarter acre chunk of just small 3-5 in round sassafras trees I would like to hinge cut, it's very open on the ground because the sassafras shade everything out, anyone have any experience hinging these? Will growth come on the woods floor or will the sassafras just come back even more? I guess neither would be a bad thing really but just wondering what would happen before I start cutting, thanks
when i thinned my sassafras a briar patch errupted and also some sassafrass regeneration. Turned into a really nice thicket.
I'm guessing it's too brittle to hinge, but you can try. I would expect cutting them and scratching the ground up in that area would unleash a lot of new sassafras saplings which will be a very nice little thicket until it needs to have a few bigger ones taken out again. We have a Consumers Energy right of way under some lines that behaves this way.
It is very brittle, but with a little patience it can be hinge cut. Just take your time and make sure you cut just far enough to pull them over.
This! But you will have a lot that break off but that's no big deal. You will still get shoots from the base and the ground cover will Be that much better. Did about 3/4 of an acre 2 winters ago and this past fall it was really thick!
Yup, as others have said, it can work, but you will have more failures than success, but regardless, the regeneration will be great if done during the winter months. Cut away!
I hinged these with a silky to clear a shooting lane after throwing up a mobile set during 2016 muzzloader season. I've never seen deer attack a hinge cut on this property with as much enthusiasm as they did on these sassafras. I've seen the same thing with mulberry on a different property. Trees are still alive and hundreds of new sassafras sprouted this summer.
I think it is one of the better hinge trees for this reason. Plenty of shoots and suckers will return.
We did a massive demolition on a friends property of sassafras and in 2 years, the results were outstanding with the amounts of regrowth and suckering!
Because the trees are very small it wouldn't be a big deal, however mature sasafras trees should never be attempted to hingecut. They will always break and very well could barberchair and kill you. Good luck.
I'm not a fan of hinging any species of "mature" trees. Always error on the side of being conservative.
