Random 8
Member
Thought I'd post a follow up to my post from last year with a year's results.
Managed to get a few small openings roughed in last winter /spring, and was able to hit 1 of them with the brush saw and spot burning after snow melt. SUCCESS!
Herbaceous and woody growth took off exponentially, as did deer and grouse activity in the immediate vicinity of the cut. Camera on the location logged about double the total deer sightings, and included a near-trophy buck (unfortunately only nocturnal) and a rare for the area yearling moose this summer. As an added bonus, blueberry that had previously been dormant put on a good flush of berries this season. Now that the deer are really hitting the browse, all new woody growth is being utilized in the area. Heavy conifer cover adjacent is seeing increased bedding activity.
The 2 cuts that I was unable to visit with the brush saw show a slight increase in similar browse and associated deer/grouse usage, but getting the buckthorn, maple and dogwood down to the stump to stimulate sprouting and herbaceous growth seems to be the bigger key. Hope to revisit these sites this spring with little or no snow cover and spot burn blueberry and raspberry sites.
A couple of abnormally wet years and red pine IPS beetle are helping my cause wildlife wise at the cost of some beautiful Red Pines. I've lost 2 over the summer, and 2 more show signs of infestation. Purchased an Alaskan mill for my chainsaw, and have put some beautiful spalted pine planking up in my new Finnish sauna and am working on making a couple rooms in the house "rustic" with the wife's blessing to make use of this wood. I have about 200 board feet of lumber like you just cant buy air drying in the barn until mid-summer. The loss of these trees has opened up a new hole in the canopy, and in addition to fostering White pine and maple regeneration, I hope to establish another prime browse area adjacent to the heavy pine/balsam cover in the heart of my pine stand. As a nice bonus, the location of the pine tree loss is at an intersecting point of 2 main deer trails and within sight of an existing stand.
Managed to get a few small openings roughed in last winter /spring, and was able to hit 1 of them with the brush saw and spot burning after snow melt. SUCCESS!
Herbaceous and woody growth took off exponentially, as did deer and grouse activity in the immediate vicinity of the cut. Camera on the location logged about double the total deer sightings, and included a near-trophy buck (unfortunately only nocturnal) and a rare for the area yearling moose this summer. As an added bonus, blueberry that had previously been dormant put on a good flush of berries this season. Now that the deer are really hitting the browse, all new woody growth is being utilized in the area. Heavy conifer cover adjacent is seeing increased bedding activity.
The 2 cuts that I was unable to visit with the brush saw show a slight increase in similar browse and associated deer/grouse usage, but getting the buckthorn, maple and dogwood down to the stump to stimulate sprouting and herbaceous growth seems to be the bigger key. Hope to revisit these sites this spring with little or no snow cover and spot burn blueberry and raspberry sites.
A couple of abnormally wet years and red pine IPS beetle are helping my cause wildlife wise at the cost of some beautiful Red Pines. I've lost 2 over the summer, and 2 more show signs of infestation. Purchased an Alaskan mill for my chainsaw, and have put some beautiful spalted pine planking up in my new Finnish sauna and am working on making a couple rooms in the house "rustic" with the wife's blessing to make use of this wood. I have about 200 board feet of lumber like you just cant buy air drying in the barn until mid-summer. The loss of these trees has opened up a new hole in the canopy, and in addition to fostering White pine and maple regeneration, I hope to establish another prime browse area adjacent to the heavy pine/balsam cover in the heart of my pine stand. As a nice bonus, the location of the pine tree loss is at an intersecting point of 2 main deer trails and within sight of an existing stand.
Last edited:
