Food Plots Clearing out mature maples on river bank to create high stem bedding/cover

[Bgoodman30]

We lost a large swath of mature timber along river due to tornado over a decade ago and now its grown into a mature maple grove with the ground shaded out. I want to revert it back to high stem bedding or more desirable trees.

 

[wildlifefarmer]

U didn't put all the above.

Any of or all it just depends on your budget

 

[Boll Weevil]

If you got a market, just clearcut it. It'll be a tangled mess in a year or 2.

 

[Bgoodman30]

If you got a market, just clearcut it. It'll be a tangled mess in a year or 2.

Just an acre of two of all maples. Couldn't imagine any value but idk?

 

[Boll Weevil]

One more thought…if it's that small a block just run a fire through it. If it's hot enough it'll torch maple, all the understory, and set the whole thing back to restart.

 

[DoubleRidge]

Being only a couple acres you could keep the cost down and double girdle the bigger trees and apply herbicide then hack-n-squirt the smaller stuff...fire is another cost effective option...either way...let the sunlight in.

 

[Bgoodman30]

One more thought…if it's that small a block just run a fire through it. If it's hot enough it'll torch maple, all the understory, and set the whole thing back to restart.

That will be tough. Since its shaded not really any fuel

 

[JCDEERMAN]

I would do a mixture of hack'n'squirt, double girdling, and a chainsaw. Starting in January, we have several large tracks we will be using all three of these methods. A lot of fire in other areas will be done to set them back

 

[Popcorn]

I have about 4 acres of pines that have merged and canopied. There are very few hardwoods and even fewer desirable trees. The pine is thick and too large to mulch or cut but isn't big enough to have any value. Our plan is to girdle 80% of the pines because fire will not kill them but will then burn to expedite the regeneration we want.

 

[yellalinehunter]

Bulldozer and start from a blank slate with cover crop and desirable trees. Can make that area exactly like you want it.
Or a forestry mulcher, plant the trees you wanted, and have the mulch as a ground cover and give it a year or two and plant into it

 

[Ski]

Good thing is it's maple. Bad thing is it's maple.

If you flush cut the stump just like you're logging it, maple will send out thousands of stump shoots and they are deer superfood. All the nutrition those giant roots supply but at deer height and size. I've always heard them referred to as mineral stumps. The shoots pop out pretty immediately within first year and deer will keep them pruned for many years to come. Elm is a good one too but maple is best. Deer candy.

Herbicide treatment like hack n squirt will kill the stump so don't do that, at least not to all of them. In this situation you want a healthy living root.

Bad thing is it's maple, almost certainly soft maple. Unless they're all well formed logs you probably won't get interest from loggers in such a small lot. If possible drag the logs into one spot out of the way and let the tops rot. Deer will eat buds off the tops rest of winter then shift to the stump shoots when they begin popping out in spring and summer.

Every other option besides chainsaw will prevent the stump shoots from forming. You'd still get regrowth but you'll also get it with the chainsaw, so that's how I'd approach it.

 

[Bgoodman30]

Good thing is it's maple. Bad thing is it's maple.

If you flush cut the stump just like you're logging it, maple will send out thousands of stump shoots and they are deer superfood. All the nutrition those giant roots supply but at deer height and size. I've always heard them referred to as mineral stumps. The shoots pop out pretty immediately within first year and deer will keep them pruned for many years to come. Elm is a good one too but maple is best. Deer candy.

Herbicide treatment like hack n squirt will kill the stump so don't do that, at least not to all of them. In this situation you want a healthy living root.

Bad thing is it's maple, almost certainly soft maple. Unless they're all well formed logs you probably won't get interest from loggers in such a small lot. If possible drag the logs into one spot out of the way and let the tops rot. Deer will eat buds off the tops rest of winter then shift to the stump shoots when they begin popping out in spring and summer.

Every other option besides chainsaw will prevent the stump shoots from forming. You'd still get regrowth but you'll also get it with the chainsaw, so that's how I'd approach it.

Excellent. I was just reading about deer liking maple shoots. I believe this is what I'll do. Thx

 

[Ski]

Here's a natural version of it. Been like this for many, many years. Deer keep them browsed but they keep budding in perpetuity. They look like little hairballs but they're really just old roots from small trees that used to be there. Deer don't let them get any bigger than that.

 

[bjohnson]

I voted saw. Benefit of the stumps sprouts as Ski said. Then burn every 4 years.

 

[348Winchester]

Good thing is it's maple. Bad thing is it's maple.

If you flush cut the stump just like you're logging it, maple will send out thousands of stump shoots and they are deer superfood. All the nutrition those giant roots supply but at deer height and size. I've always heard them referred to as mineral stumps. The shoots pop out pretty immediately within first year and deer will keep them pruned for many years to come. Elm is a good one too but maple is best. Deer candy.

Herbicide treatment like hack n squirt will kill the stump so don't do that, at least not to all of them. In this situation you want a healthy living root.

Bad thing is it's maple, almost certainly soft maple. Unless they're all well formed logs you probably won't get interest from loggers in such a small lot. If possible drag the logs into one spot out of the way and let the tops rot. Deer will eat buds off the tops rest of winter then shift to the stump shoots when they begin popping out in spring and summer.

Every other option besides chainsaw will prevent the stump shoots from forming. You'd still get regrowth but you'll also get it with the chainsaw, so that's how I'd approach it.

Sourwood is also deer candy!

 

[Ski]

Sourwood is also deer candy!

I don't have any of that. Always wanted a log to mill up but never seen one.

 

[BSK]

Sourwood is also deer candy!

Really? They won't touch Sourwood sprouts in my area. Now they'll go crazy over Oak sprouts.

 

[348Winchester]

Really? They won't touch Sourwood sprouts in my area. Now they'll go crazy over Oak sprouts.

They wear it out in Morgan County.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

Good thing is it's maple. Bad thing is it's maple.

If you flush cut the stump just like you're logging it, maple will send out thousands of stump shoots and they are deer superfood. All the nutrition those giant roots supply but at deer height and size. I've always heard them referred to as mineral stumps. The shoots pop out pretty immediately within first year and deer will keep them pruned for many years to come. Elm is a good one too but maple is best. Deer candy.

Herbicide treatment like hack n squirt will kill the stump so don't do that, at least not to all of them. In this situation you want a healthy living root.

Bad thing is it's maple, almost certainly soft maple. Unless they're all well formed logs you probably won't get interest from loggers in such a small lot. If possible drag the logs into one spot out of the way and let the tops rot. Deer will eat buds off the tops rest of winter then shift to the stump shoots when they begin popping out in spring and summer.

Every other option besides chainsaw will prevent the stump shoots from forming. You'd still get regrowth but you'll also get it with the chainsaw, so that's how I'd approach it.

I'm happy reading this. We just cut a whole hollow infested with maple - cut every maple we saw. Still have more to do on other species to open up the canopy, But it's a start. We'll burn this whole hollow in a couple years.

 

[Ski]

I'm happy reading this. We just cut a whole hollow infested with maple - cut every maple we saw. Still have more to do on other species to open up the canopy, But it's a start. We'll burn this whole hollow in a couple years.

I'm starting on some maples pretty soon too. Focusing on red maple mostly. Hoping to create some good thickets in the otherwise wide open hardwoods.