Stewarding a managed forest lot - questions

[hillyhomesteady]

Hi folks,

I was able to take a trip up to the new property with the permission of the sellers last week- we're about 3 weeks from closing and I really wanted to do a quick cruise of the woodlot.

To put ot bluntly- I've not dealt with a woodlot like this before and I'd appreciate any suggestions about how to be a good steward moving forward.

This lot of about 10 acres had been managed previously- current owners say that the last time was about 40 years ago. There's no standing dead wood, I couldn't find a single tree to use for ready-dried firewood for this winter. The volume is probably right around 1 tree 10-18 inches diameter at breast height every 8 to 16 feet average. Absolutely everything is acceptable growth for milling. Trees are primarily Hickory and Black Walnut with some Red Oak, Maple, Black Birch, and Cherry thrown in for good measure. Most of the property is pretty easily accessible.

Despite the quality of the timber, I have no desire to sell - better for me to save my trees unless there's an emergency and I need the money. Some of them will be approaching veneer quality in a decade or two anyway.


Here's the issue. The understory is a pretty sad place. Most likely due to over-browsing by deer and very little sunlight getting through the mature canopy, I'm on a hill with up to around 9% grade (though mostly flatter) and have limestone boulders mixed with rich loam under an endless tangle of barberry.

My goals include harvesting trees for firewood to heat my home, planting saplings to increase diversity and fix nitrogen, plant easily accessible fast-growing trees to coppice (planting locust may kill two birds with one stone here), get rid of the barberry, keep the deer at bay, and encourage native, endemic ground cover.

If you have any advice that could help me reach ANY of my goals, I hope you'll share with me.


Thanks!

[snoozy]

What you want to do is thin the forest so that more light will reach the ground. Understory will naturally come up when there is light and you can also help Nature along by planting native species, once you've thinned it. For wildlife, lack of those diverse understory
plants and bushes make it a food desert. A good county forester (NOT a logger!) should be able to counsel you on what percentage of trees to take out/leave. Sounds like it's all hardwoods. Maybe some native conifers would be good in the mix.

[wolfmom]

Contact your County Extension Service. They will come out at no charge, walk the property with you and give you first hand knowledgeable advice.

I did that with my 17+ acres in Northern AZ, then found a grant to assist me with clearing underbrush and trimming trees for fire prevention. Not exactly what you want, but to show you they can be of great assistance.

[farmerjack]

Not sure what part of the country, you are located in but wolfmom, is correct to clean up the under brush. Here in the western states our forests have been so miss managed, for so long, they are a complete mess. Wild fires, such as in my backyard now, are made worse. The saying in this country is, Log it, graze it, or watch it burn. Had the tree huggers not stopped the sheep and cattle folks from grazing in the forests, the fire today would not have the fuel it does.