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Mineral Stumps...Natural

8K views 40 replies 18 participants last post by  Heehaw 
#1 ·
I've heard of this but never seen a video or had it explained so well. Maybe some of you have already viewed this as it is a few years old. From Mississippi State University, who put out a ton of whitetail info. Very interesting, IMO.

 
#2 ·
Excellent video Dish. Of course, we have always known that deer like browsing the stump sprouts, but I never realized that they contained minerals on steroids. It just so happens, I know where I've got some Red Maples on my property which may well become my next "test tube subjects". LOL

It also explains why you can go from this...

Flowerpot Plant Terrestrial plant Grass Wood


to this....in one summer!

Plant Twig Branch Wood Tree
 
#8 ·
If you hinge cut your trees before the sap runs they will leaf out and dry the wood to make firewood this fall.
Well...it looks like you've left everyone "speechless" on this one Martin Looker - no replies for 2 days? Are you spoofing us again? :)

I have never heard of anyone hinge cutting a tree in order to dry it out faster for this years' firewood. When I hinge cut a tree, my primary objective is to keep the tipped over tree connected to its root structure so that water and nutrients can continue to flow to the upper tree to keep it alive - hopefully for many years.

If I am looking for firewood I will always do a felling cut and then buck it up and split it so it will dry out fast. I just can't imagine a hinge-cut tree drying out any faster than that.
 
#10 ·
Not claiming to be an expert M L...but I have cut a lot of firewood over the years to feed several fireplaces, wood stoves and my maple syrup evaporator...and I have also hinge cut quite a few trees in more recent years and this has been my experience. Probably why I find myself with 4 chainsaws and 2 wood splitters these days.

Don't get me wrong, I have ended up converting some hinge cut trees to firewood when they died, but my goal is always to try to keep the hinge cut trees alive as long as possible.
 
#18 ·
I like this and gonna try it. But also could it be that deer are just giant fans of the red maple leaf??


Sent from my iPhone using Michigan Sportsman
The guy in the video stated that they purposely chose red maple because of its' low deer browse preference. Also said it should apply to any plant that will resprout.
 
#16 ·
I'm pretty sure I have cut as much firewood as you but I don't claim to be the ex pert.
Ya. You probably shouldn't claim such...

Any pics of shoot growth on a stump , or descriptions of stumps you've sprouted you want to compliment the O.P. with?

Hinge cutting for habitat work (keeping tree alive being the goal) is far different from keeping a trunks stump end off the ground after killing it deliberately for firewood.
The original posts pics kinda hint of the subject not being hinge cuts anyways.
 
#24 · (Edited)
"Failed" hinge cut in Bedding Area #2. I used an incorrect technique for this sizeable leaner last spring, and it snapped off.
Snow Branch Twig Natural landscape Wood


These are additional ash-leaf maples Acer negundo, that I felled in order to provide more sunlight to the bishs speckled alders I planted. Left the stumps waist high on purpose. Alders look ok. Stumps sprouting as desired!
Snow Plant Natural landscape Branch Wood
Snow Plant Natural landscape Natural environment Wood


One of the hinged trees in Bedding Area #3 really took off!
Plant Snow Natural landscape Wood Sky


Check out this little saw:
Snow Wood Branch Trunk Freezing
 
#28 · (Edited)
Stupid question, but do cut trees always re-sprout? I've destroyed canopies, but not fully (still had a canopy that regrew or filled back in quickly) and don't recall maples (non sugar maples) or big-tooth aspen re-sprouting. So only soft hardwoods. It could be I never went back and looked or paid attention.

In the recent original post:
Forest Stand Improvement With Dr. Craig Harper LIVE SEMINAR | Part 1
It was mentioned that the canopy needs to be destroyed at least 20 to 30%. I don't know if I accomplished that. I'm pretty sure I did, but only for a couple years.

I did have a lot of ash regeneration sprouts and small trees grow up 10 years ago.

I'm going to go and cut a lot of silky dogwood and red osier dogwood this winter and spring for sprout regeneration.

And I only have a limited amount of box-elder, but I'm going to try to exploit them for shoots and sprouts.
 
#30 ·
Stupid question, but do cut trees always re-sprout? I've destroyed canopies, but not fully (still had a canopy that regrew or filled back in quickly) and don't recall maples (non sugar maples) or big-tooth aspen re-sprouting. So only soft hardwoods. It could be I never went back and looked or paid attention...And I only have a limited amount of box-elder, but I'm going to try to exploit them for shoots and sprouts.
I'm with Vincke on the aspen situation. If you cut them at the right time of year, they should regrow from root suckers vigorously -- think clear cut. I'm not sure if all species are successful with either strategy, might be unique to just a few.

Here is another example. I'm not certain what type of tree this is (maybe hickory). It grew some stump sprouts -- which were browsed -- but not as prolific as the boxelder. That food plot looked halfway decent in summer, but was gone by October.

Plant Terrestrial plant Groundcover Flowering plant Tree
Plant Plant community Ecoregion Green Tree
Plant Plant community Tree Natural environment Natural landscape
 
#29 ·
Good queston Steven J. The aspen ive cut have root sprouted. Most all red maple have also re-sprouted on the trunk. The red oak I’ve cut has been about 50-50, with a high number of small diameter trees, 1”-16”, being the ones that re-sprout. It seems the larger the diameter the less chance of sending up shoots.
 
#31 ·
Ok, so what is "the right time of year" to cut them?

I have this quarter acre of big tooth aspen in my east border. And just north of that a lot of mature cottonwood. And in the same east border a lot of ash regeneration. Some getting above browse level. Some small and browsed. But also good cover for fawning in June.

This area is sandwiched in between fence row hickories and oaks and Spruces and White Pines. So only overhead sun will give it life. It's tight overhead there.
 
#32 ·
Ok, so what is "the right time of year" to cut them?

I have this quarter acre of big tooth aspen in my east border. And just north of that a lot of mature cottonwood. And in the same east border a lot of ash regeneration. Some getting above browse level. Some small and browsed. But also good cover for fawning in June.

This area is sandwiched in between fence row hickories and oaks and Spruces and White Pines. So only overhead sun will give it life. It's tight overhead there.
Seasonal variability

"The season of logging can also influence regeneration success. Generally, logging in late summer, fall, and winter promotes the most abundant suckering due to high carbohydrate reserves and low auxin levels in root systems."

From this link:

Planting | North Central Region Aspen Management Guidewww.nrs.fs.fed.us › aspen › silv › regen › p3_vegreprod

These are photos of Aspen regeneration from 2 different timber harvests I had here during winter (December/January on one and Jan/Feb on the other). Both of these stands came from where we harvested almost entirely conifers (Balsam Fir and Spruce) with just a few scattered Aspen here and there.

Can't recall for sure but I believe this photo was taken about 10 years after the timber harvest.

Plant Sky Natural landscape Branch Wood


These 2 photos were taken 4 years ago - about 3 years after the timber harvest. I will try to remember to get some updated photos of this area. It is super thick now.

Sky Plant Snow Natural landscape Wood


Sky Plant Natural landscape Wood Twig
 
#34 ·
I listened to the Deer University podcast on mineral stumps and about 40 minutes in they said the best time to cut is mid summer when the tree is actively growing. Not sure if there is a difference due to southern climate compared to northern climates. I have about a 1/8 acre area of hard maple I’m trying this in and I just finished cutting about 1/2 of it today. I’m going to do the rest early to mid summer to see if one works better than the other.
 
#36 ·
I think I cut the aspens about 6 years ago. I was back clearing dead fall trees near the area last Friday and it was real thick. I had had ash tree regeneration from the die off of ashes 13-14 years ago as I felled the aspen. There was a massive stem count in the area now, and it is really thick with browsed 3 to 10 to 15 foot tall sprouts and the deer nip the buds, keeping the ash regeneration going for stem browse. I suspect there is a decent regeneration from big-tooth aspen mixed in with the ash. Originally I didn't cut aspen trunks lower.







After clearing the logs:





edit: that photo won't host...




A little south of where I cut, later in June back 5 or six years ago--ash regeneration, good fawning area:

 
#41 ·
For me the percentage of trees that stump sprouted was about the same between the winter and early summer cuts. Most of the trees I cleared were hard maple between 3”-6” with a few up to 10”. The ones cut this winter we’re cut just above ground level, with not much snow on the ground at the time. Stump sprouting was marginal overall but what sprouted was heavily browsed.
The early summer trees were cut 12”-24” above ground due to poison ivy. Stump spouting was marginal again but more sprouts per stump that did sprout due to the stumps being higher.
From what I see on our place cutting higher encourages more sprouts. Also hard maple is marginal for producing stump spouts.
 
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