I've got about 15 or so acres of 8-10 foot tall pines that are thick as hair. Should I talk to a forestry consultant? Or what is the best way to thin them to encourage tree growth and wildlife?
I've done a bunch p-pine thinning on our property over the past 10 years. In some cases, I did it on my dollar and in others, I did a contract with the local NRCS and they help with costs. Either way, you can get a State or Dept of Lands forester to come out and give you free advice, no matter what route you choose. Check around, some agencies pay more than others.
Going the NRCS route requires a contract where you agree to thin, pile, and burn/chip a set amount of acreage each year until done. You aren't a guaranteed to get funding either, but the first step is applying and finding out the rules.
The forester, can help you know which trees to cut. In my case, trees were too thick and I left a 10-12 space between the save trees and the ones I cut. I was guilty of trying to leave too many, cut more, think less, is where I'm at now.
Start small to see how many acres you can do. Due to pine beetles, most of my thinning is in September so the window isn't that big for time.
It's a lot of work and the piling by hand is a killer. After a couple years a skid steer and brush rake was bought. You could hire that part done too.
