Tree Thinning Help

[NewGuy]

Hello All. I'll be returning from a Work trip soon and plan on doing a bunch of work to a 25 acre tract that I picked up last year. It is severely overgrown and the trees are choking everything out beneath the canopy.

I planned on thinning the trees so that it produces more sunlight for healthy undergrowth to thrive for foraging. I wanted to do some hinge cutting along the sides of the property lines to provide screening for deer to feel more comfortable to move around/bed down on the property. This area appears to primarily be used for transient deer and I want to encourage them to settle around the area.

Has anyone ran into a similar issue with a thick over grown mess of a forest area? Hoping someone might have some input.

Thanks!

 

[DoubleRidge]

Thinning 25 acres by yourself is a daunting task... doable? Sure, but depending what you hope to accomplish the project could become overwhelming.

Is there any marketable timber on the property? I'm guessing with a closed canopy there is....if there is marketable timber it may be possible that you generate some income that you can use for other habitat improvements....open the canopy for sunlight to the forest floor and generate some income...win-win.

Either way...before you take off with a chainsaw...consult with a state Forester and request a management plan be developed....you can do this for zero cost and it will give you some direction...and if there is timber to cut then hire a private Forester to develop a plan and manage the cut for you.

Before you hinge cut any trees read up on other methods like hack-n-squirt...... there are several ways to get sunlight to the forest floor while benefiting the quality of future timber stands......you let the sunlight in and your gonna get the cover (and food) you want....good luck with your project! It can be very rewarding! Enjoy the process!

 

[Ski]

DR nailed it. Solid advice right there ^.

Otherwise, I notice some open ground on the western edge. I think it would be worth considering adding a plot there, with a screen around the fence row. Browse alone may or may not hold deer. Doe family groups tend to make home in the nearest cover to a food source. If you had a small plot that was well screened from the outside world on one side, and thick bedding cover/browse on the inside, you'd almost certainly have a doe group living there within a season. They'll still leave at night to hit the bigger ag fields, but their daylight home will be right there inside the woodline on the western end of your property. Deer are opportunists and momma does are incredibly competitive when it comes to home base. A tiny 1/8th acre plot won't keep them there all day & night but it will for sure give them a reason to set up camp next to it so they can dip in & out throughout the day and in the gray light minutes of morning/evening.

 

[DoubleRidge]

DR nailed it. Solid advice right there ^.

Otherwise, I notice some open ground on the western edge. I think it would be worth considering adding a plot there, with a screen around the fence row. Browse alone may or may not hold deer. Doe family groups tend to make home in the nearest cover to a food source. If you had a small plot that was well screened from the outside world on one side, and thick bedding cover/browse on the inside, you'd almost certainly have a doe group living there within a season. They'll still leave at night to hit the bigger ag fields, but their daylight home will be right there inside the woodline on the western end of your property. Deer are opportunists and momma does are incredibly competitive when it comes to home base. A tiny 1/8th acre plot won't keep them there all day & night but it will for sure give them a reason to set up camp next to it so they can dip in & out throughout the day and in the gray light minutes of morning/evening.

Good point on the open ground Ski...great opportunity there to convert a portion of the pasture to a food plot.....in the picture it appears to be hay ground that's been round rolled....and if you feed hay then it is what it is... totally understand...but if you just let the neighbor cut hay to keep the pasture clean...I would strongly consider letting a portion of the field grow up into early successional habitat then as mentioned convert the portion next to the woods into a food plot....old fields provide a great opportunity to add diversity to a property.... research Dr Craig Harper's methods on managing old fields....some great information available.

 

[Thelonegoose]

Some solid advice already. It looks like it is mixed timber. Regardless of whether you decide to thin with an actual logging crew or forester, I would start learning to identify trees and learn which ones to keep to benefit wildlife the most. If you use the state for a forestry plan, they will also identify any invasive species you may have. I would start there first and then move to get rid of less marketable trees like maple, cedars, and sweet gums. It also all depends on your short-term and long-term goals for the place as well.

 

[NewGuy]

Thanks everyone for the update thus far. I marked up my original image to give some more updates.
The red line on the top left is how I access the property. The Red circle and squigly line is my access trail that I can run the tractor up.

I had a small food plot in that field with the hashed lines and a two man stand over the food plot

I have problems accessing the woods without spooking everything. to the north is a fence with 2 houses along it so I am trying to focus efforts more to the middle or the southwest.

I'm loving all the input thus far. I'll hit up the local forester. I'm sure there is some marketable wood on the property. I'm just afraid that they will tear more up trying to get to the few trees that are good.

Keep the comments coming!

 

[DoubleRidge]

When you meet with a Forester and develop a timber management plan....there may be an opportunity to create a log loading deck in the center of the property....giving you the opportunity to create another food plot centrally on the property.....and some of the money made from timber could be invested into having stumps removed in the new food plot area....just a thought.....log loading decks can make nice food plots when strategically located.....and with some of the equipment timber companies have today they can harvest select trees without destroying everything.

 

[Ski]

Thanks everyone for the update thus far. I marked up my original image to give some more updates.
The red line on the top left is how I access the property. The Red circle and squigly line is my access trail that I can run the tractor up.

I had a small food plot in that field with the hashed lines and a two man stand over the food plot

I have problems accessing the woods without spooking everything. to the north is a fence with 2 houses along it so I am trying to focus efforts more to the middle or the southwest.

May I suggest that while doing your timber work, you also create yourself some access along the northern edge of your property. Given the typical wind in midTN is southerly, that'll allow you to hunt most days of the season without blowing your scent into the deer. As of now your access cuts right through the center of the property, effectively splitting it in two. From your access trail your property line to the north or south either way is only a hundred-ish yards. If your access trails were on the perimeter, you'd be a couple hundred yds from the opposite property line, which gives a lot more buffer.

That all said, the best hunting days seem to fall during cold fronts, which are usually accompanied by northerly winds. On those days you'll want to access along your southern border. I wouldn't even hunt easterly winds. East winds would be great days to explore some public ground.