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selective thinning- suppressed bud issues

Started by nativewolf, July 26, 2018, 10:26:15 AM

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nativewolf

We are going to be doing a significant thinning/harvest on a 100 acre mature site this fall.  We are worried that the residual are going to all sprout like christmas trees.  Any thoughts/tricks to control this issue?  In the SE there isn't much high quality selective thinning, it's mostly just clearcut.  The family is absolutely not going to allow a clearcut and the oaks/poplar are pushing 80-100' and 2'+ in diameter (the better parts of the site the RO are 3' in diameter at waist height as are the poplar, sadly not much white oak at that size).  Taking that size canopy out means a lot of sunlight, and I'm more than a bit concerned with the residual stand (leaving a lot of WO and poplar mostly) sprouting out.  
Liking Walnut

Southside

I have done pretty much exactly what you described on my own land in an effort to create Savannah grazing for my cattle. Target was 60' spacing between crowns. The only real sprouting issue I created was within 50' of field edges, past that almost no sprouting has happened. I suspect it has to do with the angle of the sun as well as the amount. 
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mike_belben

At the heights you have it probably wont help, but i have maple stump sprouts that are 15ft high in under 2 yrs.   I think of them as shade cloth for the good trees.  So i cull the maple in advance and let it get started.  The bigger the stump system the more bushy and fast growing the sprouts.  





Im between two of them right here.  I cut off at the ground not all that long ago.  This little section was a clearing. 
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nativewolf

Mike that is a great great strategy.  I'll keep that in mind.  In this particular case I need to create a significant income event for the landowner this year.  However, we'll do that to keep the maple in check and the extra shade may very well help.  We need sun on the floor to get acorns/oaks to grow.  Going to be a tricky dance.
Liking Walnut

mike_belben

The oak and hickory will grow straight straight up between them and remain single leader .. Theyll only get direct overhead sun and wont bend after sidelight or branch out for it.  It works great with sourwood, maple and gum as the shade tree.  

I think of it sorta like growing poplar in your oak stand to curtain them, except with intent to cull these shade clumps eventually rather than grow to harvest.

Deer will eat all the shade tree stuff over the oaks/hickory too in my experience.  Black gum>red maple>1st year sourwood seems to be the order of deer preference in stump clumps.
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Skeans1

Would painting the stumps help with maple stumps taking off?

mike_belben

Praise The Lord

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