To the Foresters out there....

[MIKE IN lINO III]

I hunt in SE MN and over the last couple of years I've noticed that they are logging the state land down there.

I've also noticed that they will make two cuts around the whole tree about 3 ft off the ground. I know this will kill the tree but they just leave them to die and fall over, creating a rather large tangled mess in the woods. What is the reasoning behind this? The area I hunt used to be ok to walk thru, now it is impossible.

Just wondering why they do this.

Mike

[BobT]

In the 15 years I spent in the woods, I've never heard of anything like this. You sure it's loggers that are doing this? I will consult my brother-in-law and see if I can get an explanation. He works for MFI in Duluth.

Bob

[Hotspotter]

This is called "girdling" a tree, and is done for those exact purposes. Typically, this is habitat improvement if done to non-native or undesireable species such as boxelder.

Joel

[BobT]

Joel, I'm just a bit curious. How does this improve the forest? Is this some means of destroying a species such as box elder? If so, maybe I could make use of it in my own grove by the house.

Bob

[Hotspotter]

BobT:

First off, I'll write a disclaimer saying I only have a background in natural resources and woodland management, and I am not a forester.

By removing any undesireable or non-native, you're creating a window of opportunity for species that traditionally inhabit a given area. Where boxelder are common, they can outcompete walnut, silver (soft) maple, and black ash. Depending upon management goals for that property, boxelder may be just fine! I'm not promoting or condoning this practice, but it does have its application under certain management circumstances. Many times, a tree planting follows-up girdling done a year or two prior.

Your area forester will complete a forest stewardship plan for you and discuss these management options and many others.....for FREE!!! Consider it a free walk in the woods and consultation with a trained forestry expert. In the end, they develop a report, and offer suggestions for goals to meet management objectives.

Even if you don't own much land, a call to your area forestry office will yield a wealth of information.

Joel

[BobT]

Here's a reply I received via my brother-in-law. He contacted an aquaintance at the DNR.

Quote:

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Without knowing the exact situation, I would speculate that what this person is seeing is a release effort of a site that is in the process of being regenerated.

It is very common in SE Minnesota that stands are underplanted or seeded 2-3 years before the area is harvested. Once the regeneration is established, a shelterwood, thinning, or select harvest is planned and implemented. Sometimes some of the overstory trees are unmerchantable, or undesirable (think boxelder) so they are girdled, promoting the same sort of release in those spots.

Reducing the overstory, allows the seedlings to grow more actively, but the sunlight also helps the raspberry, prickly ask, and gooseberry grow, which also makes the walking more difficult. Ultimately, the seedlings grow through the understory, shading out the competition, and the cycle is continued.

Tom Baumann

Asst. to Director, Forest Management

DNR-Division of Forestry

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Bob