Just thought I'd share a quick video I put together illustrating the 5 things I feel land managers need to avoid.....
That is superb info Tyni. I couldn't have said it any better. The first 4 are spot on and things I do/ think myself. The 5th I have not even thought about but will now. Thanks!
You hit the nail on the head with #2 and #3. When I was younger growing up in Missouri we hunted a really nice property with a lot of mature white oaks and it was so so. They logged it out one summer and low and behold it went from so so to an absolute prime hunting within a year. The understory growth kicked into full gear and we would hunt over the grazing trails, one of my first hunting lessons from my dad was pointing these trails out to me.
I will admit Ty, congrats I watched the video all the way thru. I agree for the most part but I will say in my area food plots are a huge factor. I watch the deer as much as I can when I am at home. The other night it rained so I did not fill the feeders, watched the doe parade go to the feeder, no feed so they headed right over to the clover plot. Zero Ag in my area so the deer like a place they can get some good clover. Plus as a former forestry employee I can not and will not cut a decent oak down for deer. In an oak wilt area every live oak is important. Good video I enjoyed it.
Funny thing is , I actually scrolled up to check your spelling and still typed sorta. It's "sorta" like hubby's birthday. His mother gave me a book of family B days when we got married 40 yrs ago. She put his birthday one day off. ( mean streak). Well to this day when asked his birthday I say the wrong date.. 40 yrs!! LOL
Thanks for the kind words brother! I don't touch on it in this video but 100% oak wilt should be a concern for timing of cutting oaks, as the more and more they learn it seems to be the crucial factor in stress causing it no? Plots play a role for sure, I have plots, but far too many only focus on those is more so what I was getting at.
The timeing is cridical due to the beetle that spreads the disease. Cut when they are dormant. Beetle carries the fungal spores and feeds on sap from oak cut or wound. Then fungus continues its paththrough root system.
I mention often the tree work I due. Cutting is nearly year round. My oaks rarely get cut because we also log . We do have 200 red oak big non timber ,some in swamp areas, and the oak flats. Now that area is young and close with hard maple that is getting cut now because they are catcimg up with the oak canopy. But it was left close to keep the oak straight and limbless. All clusters of yellow popular have been cut to cause the roots to sprout. Silver and V shaped hard maples are hinged or dropped . Mature bass wood that are damaged,diseased beech,diseased ash. Bad cherry. But like the oak rarely will I cut my iron wood. Great wildlife tree. Some of the locust go for fence post. They are very important bee trees and their pods are big deer and turkey feed Honey suckle, dogwood, and even Autumn olive are important bushes to MANAGE. Food and cover for many animals. Now there are so many more, pignut hickory, shagbark, blk.walnut. You need to consider years to production. A decade in some cases. Blk walnut naturally keep their drip line area clear. They release a plant killing chemical from their roots ,especially when stressed. Wild apple, plums, blue berry, currants and goose berry, pear, chestnuts. Mountain ash, mulberry, sassafrass. Holy cow I won't even mention crucially important weeds. The big thing is managers have to know the plants and trees they have and what rolls they play on the land .
Lol ...with these knees I won't be kicking anything...as I limped toward my son yesterday, he peeked over a blueberry bush and shaking his head said, " You do it to your self Ma " That I do, not dead yet! Any ways for those that may not know iron wood is the eastern hop horn. I have watched deer walking like a bear on their hind legs under hop horn in the early fall to eat the seed dupes. It's comical yet amazing the amount of time they can stand like that.
