goatman
I hunt days ending in Y
You could always start doing open pit pig with the hickory. Ain't nothing better.
You could always start doing open pit pig with the hickory. Ain't nothing better.
cybball
Well-Known Member
Spent the afternoon doing some TSI. Hinge cuts, girdling and hack and squirt. Freed up a bunch of white oaks and a few walnut. Wow. Feel like an old man. I’ll be sore all day tomorrow after that but it was great. At least I made a little progress. Also started thinning an area that is somewhat open for spring planting of white oaks and walnut seedlings.
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LoessHillsArcher
PMA Member
There ya go! I'm planning on doing some weed tree removal and midstory canopy thinning this weekend. Hackberry, mullbery, ash, and elm are our "junk" trees that slow any oak regen. I always say I'll go back and girdle oaks to thin them too but never seem to get back to doing that. So I continue to focus just on the weed tree removal. I'd probably find just as much benefit girdling some "junk" oaks along the way. I'll be sure to snap pics of my work and share!
EatSleepHunt
Active Member
Hackberry is a tough tree to kill for sure.
Chomping at the bit to get in the woods!
But I don't feel like wielding a chainsaw around in a foot and a half of snow too much work.
Chomping at the bit to get in the woods!
But I don't feel like wielding a chainsaw around in a foot and a half of snow too much work.
Hardwood11
It is going to be a good fall!
Hackberry is a good wildlife tree for birds and turkeys...not saying you shouldn't take a few out, just my opinion.
LoessHillsArcher
PMA Member
Agreed but they take over in our area, they need thinned constantly. Especially if you ever want a chance at oak regen. And I've seen the same thing double girdling big hackberry trees, they're tough! Hinge them and they'll live forever afterwards it seems also. I just cut them off clean any more. I do think those mature ones make great tree stand trees. They're generally straight with a few big limbs to help hide you.
Totally agree! One of my favorite species for stands.
cybball
Well-Known Member
I have a ton of hackberry that I need to thin. Won't kill them all, but some thinning is needed for sure. I'm going after a ton of hickory too. I have loads and loads of bitternut and shagbark. I'm leaving the big shags and killing as much of the bitternut as I can. That stuff is most of my understory and thinning should open things up for some oaks and walnuts.
Anyone on here with shagbark & bitternuts would be greatly served learning how to identify both & difference. Go to WAR on bitternuts!!!!!!! Shagbarks - pick the best pole & thin the clusters.
Bitternuts are tough cause they look vastly different at different growth stages & health/soil conditions. Learn to identify them at all stages and declare war
Bitternuts are tough cause they look vastly different at different growth stages & health/soil conditions. Learn to identify them at all stages and declare war
cybball
Well-Known Member
Anyone on here with shagbark & bitternuts would be greatly served learning how to identify both & difference. Go to WAR on bitternuts!!!!!!! Shagbarks - pick the best pole & thin the clusters.
Bitternuts are tough cause they look vastly different at different growth stages & health/soil conditions. Learn to identify them at all stages and declare war
I have tried to focus on the buds on young trees. Figured out the bitternuts have a yellow pointy narrower bud and the shags have a rounder grey bud. Winter tree id has been one of my projects this year.
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cybball
Well-Known Member
I personally don’t think they are a bad tree. I just have too many of them choking out my timber which isn’t allowing young oaks to get going. My timber is super dark on a sunny day. Forester told me to thin them way back. They just rank lower than oaks, walnuts and nice older shag bark hickory.
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Worthless. Make shade which hickory is Fine with but oaks are NOT.
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Bitternuts are named "BITTER" NUTS for a reason.... They are garbage.... most would argue (rightfully) - that even squirrels don't eat them. Junk. So, nuts - JUNK. Timber value - NONE. The trees usually get disease or bugs & die out after 50 years or so anyways.... So - they take up that space & sunlight, multiply like crazy & die off anyways. ALL THESE THINGS - totally different than Shagbark Hickory!!! Shagbark do need to be thinned, no doubt. But- they have edible nuts. They have lumber value. They are extremely long lived trees. They provide Indiana bat shelter. Promote nut burying which will then include acorns, etc, etc. If i see a bitternut - it dies. I'll never get them all, they are a nuisance and all over.
As you guys go out - even if on a very small scale... here's what I tell my buddies that are just starting to learn TSI or at least want to "make some messes".... In general, to be close to "mistake free".... you cannot make mistakes if you cut: ELM, ASH, BITTERNUT, LOCUST, IRONWOOD, BOX ELDER & a few others depending on where you're at. You can thin clusters of Shagbark if you pick the biggest, straightest tree with good crown & knock back all the junkers around it. You can thin Hackberries & a few others depending on what you have. START there & IMO - pretty hard t0 make a mistake.
As you guys go out - even if on a very small scale... here's what I tell my buddies that are just starting to learn TSI or at least want to "make some messes".... In general, to be close to "mistake free".... you cannot make mistakes if you cut: ELM, ASH, BITTERNUT, LOCUST, IRONWOOD, BOX ELDER & a few others depending on where you're at. You can thin clusters of Shagbark if you pick the biggest, straightest tree with good crown & knock back all the junkers around it. You can thin Hackberries & a few others depending on what you have. START there & IMO - pretty hard t0 make a mistake.
Tsi one year later (maybe some is 2). While u bums were sitting on couch (ok- it did kinda suck out . ). (Rob - I did figure this out how to upload a vid! ). It sucked walking through mud, sloppy heavy snow & up muddy creek banks. Still good excerise.
Walnut bottoms....
On TOPS!!! Oaks and great view & buck security. Year later here. Weed tree thinning, tsi & lots of cool things worth the nasty mucky steep hike to top.
Last- started on a grove of cottonwoods. No oaks or walnuts. Drove me nuts and at .37 board foot delivered (don’t do this, pain in butt!!!) - gonna be a chunk of $ there for junk I want gone.
. ). (Rob - I did figure this out how to upload a vid! ). It sucked walking through mud, sloppy heavy snow & up muddy creek banks. Still good excerise.Walnut bottoms....
On TOPS!!! Oaks and great view & buck security. Year later here. Weed tree thinning, tsi & lots of cool things worth the nasty mucky steep hike to top.
Last- started on a grove of cottonwoods. No oaks or walnuts. Drove me nuts and at .37 board foot delivered (don’t do this, pain in butt!!!) - gonna be a chunk of $ there for junk I want gone.
^^^^ love it. Seriously gets me super excited. Just eat this up. Chainsaw is my favorite farm tool BY FAR! sweet vids!!!
I don’t. But- fire & me - do not mix!!! I’ll burn the county down.
But.... I can manage with saws & herbicides. My fire would get way too hot with all the fuel I have. If I burned this below - it would work. But!!!... that’s if I wanted an oak savana. Which I really don’t. This is as much or an open oak stand as I’d ever want. I have zero autumn olive or honeysuckle on this farm though.
But yes- fire has its place. I’m just not the expert on it as I let other folks play with fire. I know my weaknesses - fire, motorcycles, drugs/booze, fast cars, 4 wheelers, etc - just something I stay 100% away from as i only have “one speed”.
But yes- get with forester but do realize it’s hard to do burns if u want truly thick deer cover. Invasives can be managed without fire + u can retain the nasty thick timber too if u do it that way.
But.... I can manage with saws & herbicides. My fire would get way too hot with all the fuel I have. If I burned this below - it would work. But!!!... that’s if I wanted an oak savana. Which I really don’t. This is as much or an open oak stand as I’d ever want. I have zero autumn olive or honeysuckle on this farm though.
But yes- fire has its place. I’m just not the expert on it as I let other folks play with fire
. I know my weaknesses - fire, motorcycles, drugs/booze, fast cars, 4 wheelers, etc - just something I stay 100% away from as i only have “one speed”. But yes- get with forester but do realize it’s hard to do burns if u want truly thick deer cover. Invasives can be managed without fire + u can retain the nasty thick timber too if u do it that way.
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