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Clear cut? Bedding??

L

loneranger

Well-Known Member
Power company is sending guys in to clear cut timber out from under their power lines first of the year. Is quite mature timber now. Area will be a few acres long still surrounded by timber on sides. What do you think will fill it in? Rose,,black berry,,? Will this area become a good bedding area? Should I plant something in it for a good bedding area. Regarding bedding areas I have a patch of mature cedars on my 40,,you know,,with all the dead limbs on the bottom. In the spring I've been going in there and taking off all those lower limbs so deer can travel easily under them and around them. I have noticed this fall does heading into that direction and not coming out. Do deer bed under cedars for the day ? I hope so,,that I provided more bedding.
 
I did laugh too, that's a good one!
Ok, I did have same thing on me with a gas line company. I went through and hit with round up and atrazine a couple times and seeded switchgrass. Could do any natives. If soil is poor - Indian and big blue stem with plateau for residual herbicide. If you're not concerned about stuff getting cut later.... Absolutely, I'd do cedars. Or, some shrubs might actually stay short enough they "could" let them slide later. Yes, I'd do shrubs, cedars or native grasses, for sure. Good luck!
 
arm said:
Or just let it explode with new hardwood growth?
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Very true. What’s there now LR? If they top stuff off- it might sprout up into thicket. U could do a little interseeding of any tree or shrub or native u wanted in addition as well. Or ya, nature taking its course can make some nasty thick stuff!!
 
Not funny. We are still in a drought. Ottumwa some 12 inches short for the year as it was the end of 2016. More drought expected for 2018.
 
So aside from drought- what is growing there now LR? If there’s trees that are topped off- consider them “drought free”. Established with deep roots that drought will not touch and it will be a jungle if you are topping trees. If ur still concerned on drought.... seed down natives until they get 1 year estabslishment. Their root systems also go incredibly deep and if u can get one year growth on natives- u essentially never need to worry about a drought ever again.
 
Side note.... probably not the case, but I would double check that they didn't spray the right of way. I have a friend that does this type of contract work and they use some nasty nasty chemicals sometimes to inhibit future growth. This may impact what might actually grow. I am not sure if this happens in Iowa or not. Again, not likely, but worth checking on.
 
Food plot! 5 acres of my farm are under high voltage lines that get ‘cleaned up’ by a contract company for the utility every 5 years. Their rule of thumb was anything over 10 ft gets cut down, anything between 5-10 ft gets sprayed, anything under 5 ft gets mowed, and crop fields (including food plots) get left alone. After they came thru this fall and mowed a bunch of brush down for me I’ll be able to double the size of my food plots next spring.
 
Most all a my timber is over ten ft. Way over 10 ft. Hasn't been cleared in many,,many years. Don't think they will be back soon to do it again
 
IowaBowHunter1983 said:
Side note.... probably not the case, but I would double check that they didn't spray the right of way. I have a friend that does this type of contract work and they use some nasty nasty chemicals sometimes to inhibit future growth. This may impact what might actually grow. I am not sure if this happens in Iowa or not. Again, not likely, but worth checking on.
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I have wondered this for a long time. There are cuts that I haven't seen any brush growing in nor have I seen any evidence of follow up work. I always assumed they sprayed something at the initial cut and maybe follow up spray every few years. There was some sort of grass growing in the right of ways though. Maybe ask what they plan on doing for future maintenance of the ROW.
 
U can spray so many varieties of herbicides it’s insane. Foliar, bark or soil applications. Some last for YEARS if sprayed at a high rate. Insane how many things they put down and some are pretty potent. I’m waiting to see Vietnam era planes laying down Agent Orange at some point with how aggressive I’ve seen em

If it were me and mine was getting sprayed with those nasty ones- which they have in the past.... I’d prevent it by planting native grasses so they look at it and see no need to spray.
 
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