Options/opinions

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deerhunter10

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I know its been discussed quite a bit through the years. And I have my own theory's on it some what. But I have a few spots where I am a little torn on what to do. I normally don't care that much for hinge cutting prefer hns or just completely cutting the trees down. But I have a few spots where I like to try hinge cutting. In the past I didn't seem to perform the way I wanted to. So what do yal think?

It's mainly 5 to 10 inch trees. One spot I can get a tractor or skid steer in the other I can't.

Open to it all.
 
I personally always hns or cut flush, then spray cambium. I've got a lot of that to do. But if you have the area to experiment, might try it. You'll learn something regardless one way or another. But follow up with us either way. I typically have seen hinge-cut trees resprout and get tall quick and your back to shaded out understory again
 
No doubt the hinge cut gives quick cover close to the ground but my fear with hinge cutting is once the horizontal canopy grows out you could end up with more shaded area...so I would go with flush cut, double girdle and/or hack-n-squirt...let the sunlight in!
 
Hinge cutting works but there are a few simple things that are critical. Firstly they need sun. If the upper canopy still exists then the hunted trees will die. Secondly you can't let the hinge bust 90* to an an accute angle. It'll die. The sap needs to flow upward.. The tree must stay obtuse. These are very simple but folks often overlook them and kill their hinged trees.

As for whether to hinge or not depends on what you want. If you need immediate cover then it works well. But IMO a flush cut allowed to resprout creates more nutritous and longer lasting food. My place is big hardwoods so I don't have any need to spray stumps. I actually want them to resprout. If it was all invasives and big mess that spread quickly I would spray the stumps, but that's not my situation. I hinge a lot of trees along the edges of plots and bedding cuts to create cover. Otherwise I flush cut so they can resprout.

So really it all depends on what you've got and what you want to have. Hinge cutting has it's place no doubt but be sure you do it so they can stay alive.
 
Hinge cutting works best up north. Properties are smaller (where habitat management is done is smaller patches), and trees grow slower there. In the Southeast, I usually find hinge-cutting out-grows the cover stage pretty quick. I would prefer to see the trees just felled, allowing regrowth to start at the ground.
 
Yal have all confirmed mostly what I was thinking. I'm going to do a little h&s and mostly cutting them down. There's cover under them just not nearly as much as we want. Its not a solid stand of trees it's basically stuff we let grow up head ache to bush hog but we didn't pay enough attention to it. Honestly. We will cut them down.
 

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