So my family owns a small lake lot in (NW) Central Minnesota. It is about 5 acres.
The oldest trees appear to be about 140 with most of the canopy in the 70 year age group.
The site is grossly overstocked. Basal area 170-300 average 200 (4- 1/20 acre plots: avg DBH 14" avg distance 9 feet). There are also numberous seedling and sapling maples, and a strong (3-5" DBH) understory of Ironwood. The primary species in order are Burr Oak, Sugar Maple, Basswood, Black Ash. There are pockets of Aspen, a few scattered Green Ash, a few remnant Elms, and the some Red Oak.
Most of the trees are poor lumber from frost splits, crooked trunks, low knots, and disease. I am slowing going to start releasing some of the best oaks.
I plan to leave most of the basswood as coarse woody debris or standing dead (girdled). With some younger specimen trees with good growth form (atypical for this species).
The problems I am encountering is, its is literally impossible to cut a tree down and have it hit the ground and
the existing coarse woody debris (some from 35 years ago, and others from more recent wind sheer/disease).
How to I cut or move the CWD when it is about 20 in diameter and buried, 6-10" in the soil to make skidding paths (I will be using a John Deere 770- small I know).
Third question, all the thinning literature I've read said to remove Ironwood as a low value species (for lumber). I am hesitant to remove them because a) they are hard on the saw and b) they are a sub-canopy species that shouldn't compete (for sun) with the dominants. One of my goals for the property is to maintain on-stie carbon storage.
Fourth question: the herb understory is very deficient in most of this, but there is roughly a 1/3 acre where it is excellent and another 1/2 acre where it is adequate. How fast can I expect this layer to regenerate, and is there a way of preventing Poison ivy from dominating?
Fifth question.... when girdling basswoods.. they tend to be multistemmed. Do you need to remove the entire group or is girdling one stem viable?
Final question: there seems to be a deficiet of saprophytic fungi on my CWD (I've only seen sulfur shelf once), is there a way to improve this?
Thanks all!
The oldest trees appear to be about 140 with most of the canopy in the 70 year age group.
The site is grossly overstocked. Basal area 170-300 average 200 (4- 1/20 acre plots: avg DBH 14" avg distance 9 feet). There are also numberous seedling and sapling maples, and a strong (3-5" DBH) understory of Ironwood. The primary species in order are Burr Oak, Sugar Maple, Basswood, Black Ash. There are pockets of Aspen, a few scattered Green Ash, a few remnant Elms, and the some Red Oak.
Most of the trees are poor lumber from frost splits, crooked trunks, low knots, and disease. I am slowing going to start releasing some of the best oaks.
I plan to leave most of the basswood as coarse woody debris or standing dead (girdled). With some younger specimen trees with good growth form (atypical for this species).
The problems I am encountering is, its is literally impossible to cut a tree down and have it hit the ground and
the existing coarse woody debris (some from 35 years ago, and others from more recent wind sheer/disease).
How to I cut or move the CWD when it is about 20 in diameter and buried, 6-10" in the soil to make skidding paths (I will be using a John Deere 770- small I know).
Third question, all the thinning literature I've read said to remove Ironwood as a low value species (for lumber). I am hesitant to remove them because a) they are hard on the saw and b) they are a sub-canopy species that shouldn't compete (for sun) with the dominants. One of my goals for the property is to maintain on-stie carbon storage.
Fourth question: the herb understory is very deficient in most of this, but there is roughly a 1/3 acre where it is excellent and another 1/2 acre where it is adequate. How fast can I expect this layer to regenerate, and is there a way of preventing Poison ivy from dominating?
Fifth question.... when girdling basswoods.. they tend to be multistemmed. Do you need to remove the entire group or is girdling one stem viable?
Final question: there seems to be a deficiet of saprophytic fungi on my CWD (I've only seen sulfur shelf once), is there a way to improve this?
Thanks all!