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OP
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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?
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Joined: Aug 2003
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Sneaky chainsaw thread - I like it. I'm in.
Me
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I prefer peace. But if trouble must come, let it come in my time, so that my children may live in peace. ~~ Thomas Paine
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You will Stihl be trying to get it started 😉 meanwhile husky is working.
Last edited by Nestucca; 03/14/24.
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
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Row planted or natural growth?
Dave
�The man who complains about the way the ball bounces is likely to be the one who dropped it.� Lou Holtz
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Joined: Aug 2023
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Campfire Regular
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You will Stihl be trying to get it started 😉 meanwhile husky is working. Three running Stihls currently in my shop, and a 288 that's needs, something, or other. I'll fix it one of these days, maybe.
I prefer peace. But if trouble must come, let it come in my time, so that my children may live in peace. ~~ Thomas Paine
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Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
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I am..........disturbed.
Concerning the difference between man and the jackass: some observers hold that there isn't any. But this wrongs the jackass. -Twain
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Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
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Is it under a forestry plan? Selective cutting leaps to mind.
The way life should be.
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Joined: Aug 2003
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
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IME - a logger will have someone with forestry creds on staff to help make such a decision. BUT 15 acres might not be enough to entice a logger to come aboard.
Me
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Joined: Sep 2008
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Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Sep 2008
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Do you have a PBA, Prescribed Burn Association in your area?
They can help you get a plan in place and figure out how to make that plan work!
"Camping places fix themselves in your mind as if you had spent long periods of your life in them. You will remember a curve of your wagon track in the grass of the plain like the features of a friend." Isak Dinesen
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Joined: Dec 2009
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Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Dec 2009
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Dog hair thicket at that age, that small acreage, you probably don’t have much value in the timber at that age you might be lucky to get pulp wood. Without seeing your stand, or k owing where you are and what your timber industry is like, I am still quite sure that whatever you end up doing it will cost you money.
Thick line stands are of little value to wildlife. If you thin for the sake of habitat, getting that BA down to 50-70 sq feet is a good practice. At this stage in your stand’s life, that might be row thinning. Or, if you have time and you’re motivated, you could start water it with a chain saw.
If you do desire timber value, you might keep that basal area a little higher while the stand is young, to promote the proper stem to canopy ratio.
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Joined: Dec 2009
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Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
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Wildlife value, particularly deer, when it comes to pine forest, is all tied up in the understory plant community. You want as much diversity and growth in that ground to chin level as possible to feed deer and provide cover.
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Joined: Nov 2018
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Campfire Member
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Hire a contractor with a masticator
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You will Stihl be trying to get it started 😉 meanwhile husky is working. Three running Stihls currently in my shop, and a 288 that's needs, something, or other. I'll fix it one of these days, maybe. And I have 4 working huskies in my truck. One being a late 80s 288. And 2 stihls torn apart in the shop.
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Campfire Regular
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Try a land clearing company, pricing depends on the size the trees and density of the growth. They may give you a deal for that amount of property.
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Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
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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? To "encourage tree growth and wildlife" is a bit ambiguous. Try to get a bit more specific with your goals to include things like if you want to generate $$ and or the type of wildlife. This would help those here or a local professional tailor their advice or plan.
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Feb 2013
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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? Forestry mulcher probably. And yes... talk to your local State Forester... typically free.
If you are not actively engaging EVERY enemy you encounter... you are allowing another to fight for you... and that is cowardice... plain and simple.
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Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
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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.
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Joined: Aug 2004
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Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 69,737 Likes: 32 |
You will Stihl be trying to get it started 😉 meanwhile husky is working. Three running Stihls currently in my shop, and a 288 that's needs, something, or other. I'll fix it one of these days, maybe. Doesn't the noise bother you? Maybe you should go shut them off for awhile...
Molɔ̀ːn Labé Skýla!
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Joined: Aug 2004
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Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 69,737 Likes: 32 |
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? Forestry mulcher probably. And yes... talk to your local State Forester... typically free. I'm sure not much of a fan of mulchers. They are multi-problematic. Expensive, wear out your equipment twice as fast as not running a mulcher, leave stumps so that you can't use ground engaging implements, and with most woody type growth...it'll grow back thicker and harder to control. (Pines won't though... once you cut a pine, it's done.) I'd rather use a puller. Pull the ones you want, and stack them to burn.
Molɔ̀ːn Labé Skýla!
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