thinning Tom's

[beenthere]

Fly a camera up on a balloon or a kite....seems we had a discussion of this a few years back.  : :

[SwampDonkey]

 :D :D :D Yeah I remember, but I don't think it came to fruition. I did find a birthday balloon lodged up in a fir tree last fall. You up here taking pictures again beenthere? ;)

[Tom]

Ron,
There is very little slash and top debris.  What exists has either been left in the rows (needles and twigs the size of your thumb) or pushed to a pile at the side of the landing.  The pile is about the size of a couple of pickup trucks and mostly contains hardwood switches of the 2-3 inch range.  These pines were deliberately planted close and there is very little crown, accept for a tuff at the top.  The mill accepts two inch tops, so not much was left on the ground, as of my inspection last night.

The remaining hardwoods that were run over by the skidder, will either be clipped off by chainsaw later (by me or some help} and the rest bush hogged.  If I could stay ahead of it with herbacide, I would do it.  Hardwoods are prolific here and take over any opening to the sky from root sprouts and stumps.  If it isn't to rough, I may be able to control them with mowing.   The closing crown will help, but that is years down the road.

Swamp Donkey
I have some liquid elixer in the house, from a witch in the swamp, that may get me high enough to get an overhead shot.  The doctor has warned me against using it, but I might experiment with my neighbor.  I could slip him a glassful administer him a dose and hand him the camera while he is still in reach.  Think That'll work?

[SwampDonkey]

If that don't work, maybe mix some pine straw or saw palmetto greenery in a batch of cookies and serve coffee. Might just get someone high enough for a grand view.  :D

Yeah, I was looking at them pictures and couldn't see a lot of slash. The trees aren't big enough around to make much of a limb diameter. I here ya on the hardwood, and can see in a couple of the break time pictures that there is all kinds of hardwood switches growing. You have your work cut out for ya. I am thinking pine regeneration has a tough go of it.

[SwampDonkey]

Edited post above. My brain was thinking something and my fingers typed something else.  Had to do with the pine slash. :

[Jeff]

Edited post above. My brain was thinking something and my fingers typed something else. 

NOTE TO SELF:  SAVE COPY OF THIS QUOTE TO INSERT INTO MOST OF DONK'S POSTS.

[SwampDonkey]

Might be a good thing.  ;)

[semologger]

looks like my job i am cutting right now. Your trees look like they have some more lenght than mine. How many loads are they running a day? I wish i could take all my slash back in the woods. It has to be removed from the pine stand. I am taking out every 4th row and thinning the 3 left over. How many trees per acre are you leaving? They want 250 to 300 left on this job. Its 50 acres. Hoe many acres you have?

[thecfarm]

Seems odd to see equipment in the woods with no chains on the tires.First time I saw it I was surprised.Looks good.

[OneWithWood]

Tom, you could do a Google Earth and draw lines on it to show what was done.  I bet Jeff could help you with that.  He needs something to do to keep him away from the TV. :D

[LeeB]

How old is this stand?

[Tom]

OWW.  I can do that and have marked a lot of the things on this property as I have changed them.  When the next satellite picture is available, I'll be able to match the differences.

Leeb

I have a total of 47 acres.  there are 6 acres along the driveway that is newly planted, this spot is 7 acres and was planted in 1992.  The thinning produced six loads at 9-10 chords per load.  I haven't the numbers for today.

The remaining trees are in rows 12 feet apart with the missing (thinned)  third row making a 24 foot opening.  The rows were cross thinned to 10 foot centers.  I don't know what that comes to per acre.

There is another six acres behind this  and a 10 acre ridge behind that, containing hardwood and dedicated as wildlife passage. 

Another 20 acres is north of that and it contains some loblolly pine and hardwood as it falls to the creek.  It is pretty much wet swamp most of the time. Some of the land is in saltwater marsh and not included in the total.

[pineywoods]

I just had a 10 acre plot thinned, worked out almost exactly like Tom's. Only difference mine was all volunteer, not planted, about the same age. Look at the growth rings on the stumps, the outer ones are real close. Mine had just about stopped growing. Hired a local crew of 3 brothers, all 3rd generation loggers. They spread all the slash back down the open lanes. That keeps the weeds down and in a couple of years it will be all rotted and thick with new volunteer seedlings. It all went for pulp. I was surprised at the payout, more than I expected.
Got another 30 acres that needs thinning but the price has taken a dive..

[SwampDonkey]

this spot is 7 acres and was planted in 1992.  The thinning produced six loads at 9-10 chords per load. 

The remaining trees are in rows 12 feet apart with the missing (thinned)  third row making a 24 foot opening.  The rows were cross thinned to 10 foot centers.  I don't know what that comes to per acre.

I think ~270 trees/acre

[SwampDonkey]

messed up

[SwampDonkey]

Actually Tom, you have to look at it from the stand point of the tree.  I get tripped up with that sometimes.

43560 ft² x tree + 43560 ft² x tree = 272 trees/acre
  240 ft² x acre      120 ft² x acre 
                          2

[SwampDonkey]

If you work it out on a grid like this, we'll call option # 2

     12               24                12                24                 12
o            o                        o            o                        o            o

                                                                                                  10

o            o                        o            o                        o            o

                                                                                                   10

o            o                        o            o                        o            o

                                                                                                   10

o            o                        o            o                        o            o

                                                                                                   10

o            o                        o            o                        o            o

                                                                                                    10

o            o                        o            o                        o            o

That's an area of 84 feet x 50 feet, with 36 trees, represents 4200 ft²

43560 ft²/acre x 36 trees   = 373 trees/acre   take your pick :D
    4200 ft²

Only trouble is it doesn't hold up if you use different sized sample plots. :D

[Tom]

I don't know what is right, but I like the 372 trees per acre better than the 272 when I stuff my wallet.  :D

[SwampDonkey]

Yeah I know that train of thought is what I like too. :D Since the spacing is not uniform, but there is a pattern I'm sure there is still a mathematical way to compute it. It's a lot easier to calculate when the spacing is uniform that is for sure. :D

[isawlogs]

Try using 10 on one side and 18 on the other .

[SwampDonkey]

Yes, I did that also, here was the result.

242  trees/acre :-\


It's probably some crazy quadratic math

[Tom]

I don't like that one as much.  :-\

Maybe if you were to hold a prism up at arms length and count the empy spaces, or sumthin'.

[SwampDonkey]

It's perplexing. :D

[WDH]

I guess that I am going to have to come down there and cruise it .

[Jeff]

https://forestryforum.com/calcs/spacing.htm