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Establishing thick ground cover in existing TSI woodlands

Obsessed

Well-Known Member
I live in Central Iowa and would like some input on plants that have a low attrition rate when planted within existing woodlands that have had extensive TSI performed over the past few years. Undesirable trees have either been rung / girdled or fell and removed completely. The canopy has been opened up nicely, allowing a fair amount of sunlight in year round, but would still be considered partially sunny or shady.

I haven't had much luck establishing anything other than the ditch Eastern Red Cedars that I've transplanted, but it's going to take me a decade or more just to get enough in the ground if that's all that I go with. I'm open to anything that will establish quickly and thrive and that will provide year round ground cover. My ground cover now is a mixture of all typical Midwestern undergrowth that is thick through mid fall, and then goes completely barren this time of year.

Many squirrels and rabbits, call my place home, and turkeys sometimes roost in my trees, but deer seldom bed or stay. Deer use it more as a corridor to pass through. I'd like to make my place a bit more desirable for deer to stick around. I've got food and water, just not enough thick stuff for deer to feel very secure in.

I'd like to order my saplings from the ISU DNR Nusery if possible, because all of what they sell is native to Iowa and supposed to do well here, but this is not necessary.

Thank you all in advance.
 
I could write a long one here but lemme ask u few questions....
how long ago was tsi done? In 3 years post tsi done right it should be a jungle. Deer paradise.
What trees did u free up and are u not happy with those freed trees supplying the future stock?
Did u do some hinge cutting? Tsi done aggressively?
Correct any of this... Ur goals are "thick jungle", browse & new growth deer love to eat, Thermal cover (just say cedars), food producing trees, lots of desirable bedding spots, etc.
 
I'm interested in this topic too. We had a select cut done in our hardwoods in early 2015 and went back and did a lot of hingecutting around the ridge to encourage bedding. How does a guy know how agressively to do the TSI work in areas we didn't hinge? We have some hickories in there but not a whole lot of junk type trees. I don't think we had the loggers take enough trees.
 
Can you give us an idea of how many acres you have? Any farm ground? Seems odd that deer would not stick on your farm if you have some timber...Can you plant switchgrass...along with cedars?
 
Sligh1:
The last and majority of my TSI cutting was completed 3 or 4 winters back. I cut and completely removed the smaller undesirable trees and rung / girdled the large undesirable trees. I did not hinge cut anything. Most of my undesirables were a variety of locust.
I freed up oaks, maples, hack-berry, etc. Almost anything that wasn't locust. I'm not confident that the trees that I freed up will successfully propagate future stock.
TSI was done aggressively.
My goals are a "thick jungle" that will not turn into a barren wasteland as soon as the snow starts flying. Food benefit is a plus, but there is plenty of local food sources, so I'm more interested in thick, dense thermal cover.
As is, it is almost too thick at the beginning of bow season. I am very pleased with how things look through most of fall as well. From the end of fall through winter however, it turns barren. I would like deer to stick around through late muzzy season if at all possible.
Thanks,
 
Obsessed - do you have hickories still standing after the TSI effort? If so, they tend to be major shade producers and based on what you did say above as to what species you already targeted...if you still have hickories in any number, I would tend to take a hard look at thinning those. I would not eliminate all of them, but I would rather have oaks and walnuts than a bunch of hickories.

Also, I would hinge at least some lesser trees. Deer LOVE to bed down in front of a horizontal trunk, especially at the ends of points where they can see well below and also escape easily if danger comes from behind them.
 
No hickories that I know of. I'll have to hinge cut next time...

I've tried control burning, but can't seem to maintain one. It smolders out quickly. I did give everything a good mowing after I picked finished my last TSI effort and removed any large chunks of wood, etc.
 
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