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With nothing more than a chainsaw and a little sweat equity, there are a couple of ways we go about our timber stand improvement (TSI) that you can implement in your woods too.
But before you even think about getting into the woods with a chainsaw, be sure to take these precautions:
- Always be accompanied by at least one other person.
- Always wear eye and ear protection.
- Always wear a helmet.
- Always wear chainsaw chaps.
Clear Cut
Last summer, we came upon an area on our farm that contained nothing but hickory trees. There were a few walnuts and oaks, but mainly hickories. The reason for that was years ago this area had been logged and top-ended, with all the black walnuts, red oaks and white oaks being removed. There was no regeneration going on in this area. You could see 300 yards right through it - nothing was growing. By coming into this area and knocking down all of the undesirable hickory trees, we've created structure for deer as well as quail, turkey, and pheasant. This area is on a southeast-facing ridge, so deer will come in to bed off the northwest wind and lay in the sun all winter long.
We started by cutting very hard around any desirable trees to open everything around them, removing competition for sunlight, ground moisture, and space to regenerate. For the trees we cut, we didn't just fell them all and leave trees on the ground everywhere. We used a few different methods to deal with the undesirable trees, depending on their location:
- Hinge Cut - A hinge cut means cutting halfway through a tree so it can be bent over to one side to grow horizontally, allowing the leaves to continue to grow and for deer to bed on it and browse the leaves. It provides new cover and attracts game animals.
- Double Girdle - On some of the hickories, we use a double girdle, which means we cut two rings about an inch deep, and about four or five inches apart around the tree. This kills the tree slowly in a standing position so that undergrowth can adapt gradually to greater light levels. It's a good alternative to felling in places where a fallen tree might cause substantial damage to nearby trees or important regeneration.
- Felling - This is simply cutting a tree off at ground level, so it completely falls to the ground.
So, rather than just come in with a dozer and mow everything flat, the mix of these three methods creates a more complex and appealing landscape that allows for more regen of desirable trees and for more browse to come up for deer and other critters.
Crop Tree Release
On another part of our farm is an area full of walnuts and wide oaks. There is hardly any other species of tree growing there. This is where we implemented crop tree release by simply coming through and whacking everything down except for the walnuts and wide oaks. And that's how simple crop tree release is. You're simply releasing the crop tree, allowing them to flourish and take up all the sunlight and nutrients. There are no other trees crowing them out or leaning into them. They're going to reach their maturity much more quickly. We have sunlight getting to the floor and browse coming up.
Keep it Open
One important thing to keep in mind when you're doing any type of TSI is to keep it open for deer. You don't just want a mess of trees here and there. You can go through and make some bedding cuts - little half-acre pockets, bush piles, and things like that - but we don't want trees laying over top of trees everywhere so deer can't get through. Keep the trails open.
Ultimately, the goal is to remove undesirable trees and help desirable trees flourish, while also forcing regeneration and creating more browse, bedding and cover to attract wildlife. Using some clear cutting and crop tree release can make a world of difference in your woods.
--Midwest Whitetail
