Hardwood properties and acorn failures

[DoubleRidge]

The trick for us will be keeping the early-stage regeneration. My population data clearly shows we peak in population 3 years after timber removal, but by 5-6 years, we're right back where we started. I need to keep a significant portion of our timber removal area in early-stage growth into perpetuity. How to do that is the tricky part. I'm going to try and work with NRCS on finding a combination of ways to go about that, from large scale chemical applications to prescribed fire. The hard part will be the logistics of those.

You have described exactly where we are.
Our timber project was late 2019. I have read some about what opportunities there are working with NRCS but need to study up on it more....but chemical applications and prescribed fire is certainly something I'm interested in. I'd really like to have several burn units where we could rotate and burn a different area each year.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

You have described exactly where we are.
Our timber project was late 2019. I have read some about what opportunities there are working with NRCS but need to study up on it more....but chemical applications and prescribed fire is certainly something I'm interested in. I'd really like to have several burn units where we could rotate and burn a different area each year.

Yep - rotation is kep. The good thing is, those areas don't have to be burned every year. They say every 3-5 years, but we try to stick to 3 to control the hardwood saplings. One thing we need to get better on is going in and hack-n-squirting those timber cuts and burns "after the fact"

 

[BSK]

Yep - rotation is kep. The good thing is, those areas don't have to be burned every year. They say every 3-5 years, but we try to stick to 3 to control the hardwood saplings. One thing we need to get better on is going in and hack-n-squirting those timber cuts and burns "after the fact"

I'm thinking it would be possible to spot spray hardwood saplings that come back after fires. We have two high-tension powerline right-of-ways crossing our property and they are now being completely maintained by 4-man crews using backpack sprayers. All they do is come through every year and hit the hardwood saplings and leave all the other positive plants, such as the Indian Grass, blackberries, vines, and annual forbs.