Habitat Work

[Stubborn1vt]

Started working on my land today.  Took the Kubota and the saws out to a tiny plot in the woods.  There is a producing red oak in the middle of the plot/clearing that I want to get some more room and light.  I also want to roughly double the size of the plot.  I planted it years ago by roughing it up with a box scraper with teeth, then running a chain harrow over it.  Planted rye, chicory, clover and some small burnet.  It's all still there, but the fall leaves set it back quite a bit.

Anyhow, I dropped a couple white pines and chipped the tops.  Cut the best of the logs into lengths I could move by hand (6-8').  Also dropped a soft maple, blocked that into firewood and piled up the tops for the deer to eat if they want.  I put the chips and pine needles where my log road crosses a drainage.  It currently has running water in it.  Good for the water table.  Bad for travel.  The chips did the trick, but I will probably add 3-4 more buckets.  

Next I'll probably take out another pine or two in this plot.  It should be .20 acres when I'm done.  Also planning on clearing out around the one mature, wild apple I have.  It's been pruned and makes a few apples.  Hopefully clearing out the competition to the south will help it out.  Once I'm done in these 3 areas, I'll take the chipper off and switch to a 3pt hitch carry-all and make a little firewood.  

Glad to be out.  6-10" of snow.  Ground is soft underneath.  Should be better tomorrow.  The overnight low is supposed to be 17.

[Robhuntandfish]

Awesome!  I can't wait to get started on projects.  I think it's gonna be a while. Quite a bit of snow and that's gonna mean a lot of water on our flat land swamp. 

[Cabin Fever]

Oh man! I need some R&R after hunting season to start tearing into projects!  Good for you!

[Rusty]

If you cut it they will come!

Or something like that.      

[BowmanMike]

I got a bunch of bull pine in my woods,big stuff. I should probably cut most of them but I think it would be tricky with the multi trunks and just the sheer diameter of them. No good logs in any of them,maybe one 6' log per ten trees. 

Cutting even a few would make a major mess,that is why I haven't done it. Plus,I don't necessarily want to cut trees to make more food for deer. I always feel bad for cutting a tree. Maybe because i am married to a tree hugger.

Maybe someday...but as I get older the likelihood decreases

 

 

[Bucksnbows]

Nice!  I oversee a 107 acre property in Sparta, NJ of which 90 acres are mostly mature oak/hickory. Over the last 15 or so years, we have done a lot of disturbance to open the canopy and diversify the habitat. I’ll be meeting with my forester tomorrow morning to review our plans under our second ten year plan.  We wrote it with much more flexibility and I need to understand just how much I have. I plan to mark out another 5 acres of TSI next week and may do 10 acres. I want to better connect an older modified seed tree harvest (clear cut with a few trees left for those not aware of the name) to a newer cut by heavy TSI. And in spring I’ll dig two new vernal pools that double as watering holes for deer and other creatures. 

[Rusty]

23 minutes ago, BowmanMike said:

I got a bunch of bull pine in my woods,big stuff. I should probably cut most of them but I think it would be tricky with the multi trunks and just the sheer diameter of them. No good logs in any of them,maybe one 6' log per ten trees. 

Cutting even a few would make a major mess,that is why I haven't done it. Plus,I don't necessarily want to cut trees to make more food for deer. I always feel bad for cutting a tree. Maybe because i am married to a tree hugger.

Maybe someday...but as I get older the likelihood decreases

We have too many trees.  The Lorax has lied to you and brainwashed society.    

[BowmanMike]

6 minutes ago, Rusty said:

We have too many trees.  The Lorax has lied to you and brainwashed society.    

The what has lied to me? I don't know no Lorax.

[Stubborn1vt]

Hoping to dig a small waterhole as well.  I will probably go the kiddie pool route.  I think it would have been a good addition this summer in our near-drought conditions.

[Bucksnbows]

1 hour ago, BowmanMike said:

The what has lied to me? I don't know no Lorax.

A famous Dr. Seuss story. 

[Bucksnbows]

1 hour ago, Stubborn1vt said:

Hoping to dig a small waterhole as well.  I will probably go the kiddie pool route.  I think it would have been a good addition this summer in our near-drought conditions.

Still water is so important to whitetail habitat needs. Streams are okay, but deer prefer still water so they can hear predators approaching when their heads are down to drink. 

[Rusty]

1 hour ago, BowmanMike said:

The what has lied to me? I don't know no Lorax.

Forget the Lorax,  Arbor Day and Smokey have lied to you.   

[ZAG]

1 hour ago, Stubborn1vt said:

Hoping to dig a small waterhole as well.  I will probably go the kiddie pool route.  I think it would have been a good addition this summer in our near-drought conditions.

Got a backhoe attachment?

[Stubborn1vt]

39 minutes ago, ZAG said:

Got a backhoe attachment?

No.  I think I can get most of it dug with the bucket and finish it with a shovel.  

[ZAG]

5 minutes ago, Stubborn1vt said:

No.  I think I can get most of it dug with the bucket and finish it with a shovel.  

Ok, if ya had bh attachment I was gonna suggest a vernal pool. We have multiple throughout our place. Probably gonna add another near the new plot.