Lots of ~30-35" x 80-100' Quaking Aspen, what to do with it?

[kiamori]

What Barbender said concerning aspen management. If young are in an aspen ecosystem of Quaking or Big Tooth Aspen and it has reached 60 + years of age, it should be harvested while it is commercially viable for sawlogs and pulpwood.

Leaving it longer that that to "old age" will often cause it to develop "white rot" and then not be very marketable. Aspen is usually short lived and usually has good local pulpwood and sawlog markets for that reason, but it needs to be harvested while it is still sound and viable.

Clearcutting is usually the preferred sylvicultural method of harvesting aspen for rapid regeneration. It is an intolerant species and needs sunlight to regenerate which is usually soon and heavy on a good site.

An aspen site can be converted to another species such as red pine by heavy herbicide use and extensive soil manipulations, but it is usually not recommended where aspen is the dominant species.

Aspen is managed for its wildlife benefits along with it sawtimber and pulpwood values. It's always good to seek out the services of a local professional forester to evaluate your specific site.

We have a very healthy mix of trees. In order of trees I would say its something like; Maple, Birch, Spruce, Aspen, Pine(red/white), Oak, Ash, Basswood, Willow, a very few Cedar and a few random ones that I might be missing. The old land surveys show hemlock but I haven't seen any on the property so that would be the last time it was likely cut, sometime back in the 20's I would guess.

So near Effie, perhaps? That's where we cut the one stand of really exceptional aspen. The Highway 1 corridor from Togo over past Northome has some of the finest aspen anywhere.

About a half hour s.west of Effie.

Yes, beautiful country.  PatD and I took the route across that portion of MN from Ely through Effie to Lake Itasca several years ago.  

Its amazing country here, can't imagine living anywhere else. The winters are just gorgeous if you don't mind lots of snow.


Here is another photo of some of the Aspen and some smaller maples,


one of the larger white pine,
 

[nativewolf]

@kiamori Sounds like you may benefit from a small harvest.  150 of those aspen, maybe the rest of them as well since even the smaller ones are likely the same age and ready (age wise) for harvest.  If a good logger with a forwarder could harvest that in winter it might be possible to dramatically reduce the amount of trails needed?  @Barbender would know better than I, sounds like he is close by.

[kiamori]

@kiamori Sounds like you may benefit from a small harvest.  150 of those aspen, maybe the rest of them as well since even the smaller ones are likely the same age and ready (age wise) for harvest.  If a good logger with a forwarder could harvest that in winter it might be possible to dramatically reduce the amount of trails needed?  @Barbender would know better than I, sounds like he is close by.

It sure would be nice to get rid of all of the aspen but I'm also not sure I really want heavy equipment on this property since we have maple lines up everywhere and most of the property is quite hilly so it might be more trouble than its worth as well. 

For now I've just been working on taking down the ones that need direction as not to hit any of the good sugar and black maples. I had planned to get more done on the property but got too busy with my businesses this year.

[Clark]

Kiamori - I've cruised a lot of timber in that neck of the woods and it is easily the most underrated corner of the state. Some nice rolling hills, lakes everywhere and beautiful hardwoods. I've measured more basswood over 100' tall in the Wirt area than I have any other tree species anywhere else in the state.

I would guess your land was not touched by Potlatch because it was hardwoods. Ask most foresters in northern MN how to best manage hardwoods and they'll either scratch their heads or give some wise-crack about how it's not worth growing. Of course, both responses are wrong!

You have a site that is very productive and it is likely making the transition from an aspen and birch dominated forest to one with more maple, basswood and possibly red oak. Selectively cutting aspen to allow those trees to grow better is a great course of action. Whether you utilize the aspen or leave them lay is your choice. 

If you're full of energy you could cut them yourself and possibly skid them to a landing. Whether or not the mills would accept wood cut by the uninsured landowner is something you should find out first.

Clark

[thecfarm]

Here in Maine,on my land,I could cut all I want with no insurance. But this was back 20 years ago too. I do have to contact the state to get an Intent to log number. Need that for the paper mills and sawmills. A very simple form needs to be filled out each year.
If you have trees that big,it takes a good size something to get them out.
I had a lot of big eastern white pine,36 inches was no big deal. Don't haul out too many 16 footers that size that are 16 feet long with a 40hp tractor. Those had to be cut 10 feet long. Need to get specs form a sawmill. Than too those big ones need some room to fall. We use to cut a "road" for those big pines to fall into. That would open up the forest when we cut a big pine. Took a while to clean up a place for the trees to fall into.
And than you have to stick with logging. Meaning you can't cut one tree than jump in the car and go visit friends and do fun things with the wife. That is really why I stopped logging on my land. I work,40 hours a week,than cut wood. The wife could not understand the part about the mills wants fresh logs and pulp too. Can't have the logs sitting around for a month while we are going places.

[nativewolf]

So you are tapping with low pressure vac lines?  That would slow up some logging  :D.  Well you're in a great spot and I appreciate you sharing some of pictures of your forest, looks wonderful.  How many acres?

@Clark that is the same response foresters give around Northern VA, they tell people to replant in pine (which has almost a 0 NPV if you map out trends).  

@kiamori Have you seen the maple syrup section here, I like to read it but more for "I wish I had maples" than something I can actually do (we only have a few scattered sugar maples, red maple is more common).  Nice group, lots of pics.  

[kiamori]

Kiamori - I've cruised a lot of timber in that neck of the woods and it is easily the most underrated corner of the state. Some nice rolling hills, lakes everywhere and beautiful hardwoods. I've measured more basswood over 100' tall in the Wirt area than I have any other tree species anywhere else in the state.

I would guess your land was not touched by Potlatch because it was hardwoods. Ask most foresters in northern MN how to best manage hardwoods and they'll either scratch their heads or give some wise-crack about how it's not worth growing. Of course, both responses are wrong!

You have a site that is very productive and it is likely making the transition from an aspen and birch dominated forest to one with more maple, basswood and possibly red oak. Selectively cutting aspen to allow those trees to grow better is a great course of action. Whether you utilize the aspen or leave them lay is your choice.

If you're full of energy you could cut them yourself and possibly skid them to a landing. Whether or not the mills would accept wood cut by the uninsured landowner is something you should find out first.

Clark

We've been replacing the aspen with fruit trees and black walnut mostly. My SW48 plow works decent as a tree fetcher, it has no problems pulling 20' x 40" out of the woods.. Nice and compact tracked vehicle with lots of power, I just have to be careful around the hills.

So you are tapping with low pressure vac lines?  That would slow up some logging  :D.  Well you're in a great spot and I appreciate you sharing some of pictures of your forest, looks wonderful.  How many acres?

We have enough decent on most of the runs to do full gravity feed via 3/16 but next year we may add some vacuum to get some of the currently untapped trees. This year we did 375 taps and we'll likely add another 100 or so in 2020.

[ethanbrush]

I have big tooth aspen here and when one blows over, as they do often, I cant resist cutting it.  Hate to see it go to waste.  I have 1500 board feet already, cutting it into 1" boards, not sure what I will do with it.  I might paint it white and do some of the walls of the house with it instead of drywall.  The clear stuff is real nice, although seems like i get very little of that. Hopefully it wont be a waste of time. They dont get very big here, 18" is a pretty big, although I have a handful of 24's. its a miracle those haven't blown over yet.

[47sawdust]

A fellow in Brooks Maine makes ladders for apple orchards from big tooth aspen,probably good crate wood as well.
What is this SW48 you mention?
Beautiful property and welcome to the forum.

[kiamori]

What is this SW48 you mention?

Been busy with other work and just getting back to working on the property and the forums here. 
SW48 is old sidewalk plow. Pretty beefy little tracked vehicle with an old 300 industrial ford engine in it. weight with the vplow on is about 6k lbs. Good enough for me anyways.

[Clark]

We've been replacing the aspen with fruit trees and black walnut mostly...

It's good to see you're still around. One word of advice: replace the black walnut with butternut. I've never seen a black walnut around those parts larger than 8" diameter. I have seen butternut grow to about 10" diameter in about as many years (yes, it was a yard tree but still). Butternut is more tolerant of the cold and is a far superior species in northern MN.

Clark

[hacknchop]

Thank you for checking in again i really enjoyed your description of your property and the timber on it and look forward to reading more info on how your maple sugar operation is doing.Please tell us more about your sawmill and support equipment. 

[thecfarm]

On your aspen sprouts. I have a few popple trees, aspen family, that I cut when I cleared the Old Pasture. I cut a bowl into the stump with my chainsaw, 4-6 inches deep, than I fill the bowl with rock salt and water. But this was done with maybe no more than 10 trees and not too far apart. I kept a 5 gallon bucket with a lid on it, with salt in it, and carried water as needed. The stump will draw the salt into it and help kill the stump. And stop those 100's of sprouts too. Check on it often, if it needs salt, put salt in it, if it needs water, put water in it. But as I said, this was on a small scale, with only a few trees.  I have done this many times. It works!!!
All the local critters like it too. 

[alan gage]

If I had a nice stand of aspen that like that I'd build a new house and shop with them. I'd use them for framing, sheathing, and interior paneling.

Of course I say that as someone who doesn't have softwoods available for framing lumber. If I had a bunch of pine or if I didn't want to build a new house and shop I'm not quite sure what I'd do with them. I'd probably saw them into 1x and then move them around for the next 30 years.

Maybe I missed it but is skidding them out during the winter an option to keep from compacting the ground?

Since I was a kid your area has been where I go when I go to northern MN. The more I explore it the more I like it. I was just there a few weeks ago introducing an 8 year old boy I mentor to canoe tripping on the Big Fork.

I've gone on canoe trips in Northern Canada where black spruce dominates and doesn't get much over 5" diameter in most places. Then I'll portage around a rapid and where the river overflows during floods and leaves a deposit of soil (rest of the area is mainly rock) there will be pockets of huge aspen trees. They're probably not as big as yours but after looking at stunted black spruce for 2 weeks they seem like it.

Alan

[moodnacreek]

We had them that big but not that many. They can have shake like hemlock. Built a barn,used treated poles, with some of it. Also makes great 12"x12" blocking, not so heavy.

[kiamori]

Thank you for checking in again i really enjoyed your description of your property and the timber on it and look forward to reading more info on how your maple sugar operation is doing.Please tell us more about your sawmill and support equipment.

Actually only did partial year of maple this year but we're working on putting some mainline in and doing about 500 taps for spring 2021.
I have a swingblade semi-portable mill 38hp kohler engine. Also has a slabber(large chainsaw) attachment.

If I had a nice stand of aspen that like that I'd build a new house and shop with them. I'd use them for framing, sheathing, and interior paneling. 

Of course I say that as someone who doesn't have softwoods available for framing lumber. If I had a bunch of pine or if I didn't want to build a new house and shop I'm not quite sure what I'd do with them. I'd probably saw them into 1x and then move them around for the next 30 years. 

Maybe I missed it but is skidding them out during the winter an option to keep from compacting the ground? 

Since I was a kid your area has been where I go when I go to northern MN. The more I explore it the more I like it. I was just there a few weeks ago introducing an 8 year old boy I mentor to canoe tripping on the Big Fork. 

I've gone on canoe trips in Northern Canada where black spruce dominates and doesn't get much over 5" diameter in most places. Then I'll portage around a rapid and where the river overflows during floods and leaves a deposit of soil (rest of the area is mainly rock) there will be pockets of huge aspen trees. They're probably not as big as yours but after looking at stunted black spruce for 2 weeks they seem like it. 

Alan

So my plan for the aspen right now is new coop, wood shed, sugar shack and some fence posts which should keep me busy for a while. I've been burning them similar to Japanese 'Shou Sugi Ban' method to help prevent rot and if it works well I might build something more useful with the rest later. I'm afraid if I don't just use it I'll be moving it around for another 30 years as well.
I have no problems moving it around in the winter, its actually much easier since my SW48 is tracked, has a V-plow that goes through snow without an issue and no bugs, mud or brush to deal with.

[mart]

We don't have much of a variety of hardwoods in Alaska. We do have quaking aspen and cottonwood. I've been cutting a fair amount of it for lumber and beams. I've done some T&G paneling for cabins, trailer decking, rig mats, roof sheathing and it does alright as siding if it is painted and the building has a decent overhang. I've even used it for cabinets in my shop. I like cottonwood and will continue to use it. 

We have a lot of beetle kill spruce right now but it seems to rot faster than the loggers can get it cut. If it's been dead a couple years there is a lot of waste to get to what solid lumber is left in the log in a lot of cases. A friend made the comment last week that it looks like cottonwood/aspen is going to be the new spruce in dimensional lumber in our area. 

[kiamori]

We don't have much of a variety of hardwoods in Alaska. We do have quaking aspen and cottonwood. I've been cutting a fair amount of it for lumber and beams. I've done some T&G paneling for cabins, trailer decking, rig mats, roof sheathing and it does alright as siding if it is painted and the building has a decent overhang. I've even used it for cabinets in my shop. I like cottonwood and will continue to use it.

We have a lot of beetle kill spruce right now but it seems to rot faster than the loggers can get it cut. If it's been dead a couple years there is a lot of waste to get to what solid lumber is left in the log in a lot of cases. A friend made the comment last week that it looks like cottonwood/aspen is going to be the new spruce in dimensional lumber in our area.

Not a lot of beetles here but the ants usually eat the aspen from the inside before they start to rot, a lot of times the ones that fall are full of carpenter ants and partially hollow but I can still get 2x4's and 2x6's out of the rest of it. We do have a ton of pileated woodpeckers that shred any of the pine trees with bugs.

[Iwawoodwork]

Sounds like your aspen can be used for a lot of building components as long as it is moisture  protected. Another use could be raised organic flower/garden beds, would not last as long as cedar or oak, but organic (not treated) seems to be preferred in parts of the country. 

[Stephen1]

The ants only eat the inside, once it has started to rot. The do not eat good wood. They nest in soft rotten wood because it is easy for them.