Maintaining the state park look

[barbender]

 I'm not saying that folks should maintain their property one way or the other. Only that sometimes, people will do things on their property that is contradictory to what their goals actually are, because they don't know any better. 

 I've worked on private timber sales where the timber was being removed to provide wildlife habitat- then the landowner wanted what was left to "look like a park". Well maybe that would be the way to go if you had open country species like bison and elk, but not for whitetails and ruffed grouse😊

 

[Andries]

Barbender, I have relatives in Europe that come to visit from time to time. You're exactly right in your comments about the reaction to North American forest lands. "Oh my! Not tidy. So much work to do!"
But if those Finns had seen a southern yellow pine plantation in Georgia, they might just feel right at home.
I remember being absolutely gob-smacked when I saw forests in northern Europe that had number tags on each and every tree. At family reunions we all got a real laugh about the extreme differences between the boreal forest in Canada and the manicured forests of Europe.
I guess it's all about the end goal and the right tool for the right job. Swamp donkey is swinging a clearing Saw for TSI work in the Maritimes. Cfarm is getting it picture perfect because it's close to his house. I am using my pole saw for clearing sight lines in the curves around reclaimed old logging roads. Live music might be thinking about parklands, trailers and camping.
 Everyone has their own toolbelt. 
The only system that sure as heck wouldn't work, up here anyway, are Southside's cows. There'd be an explosion in the bear and wolf population and not a cow to be seen anywhere.

[SwampDonkey]

Where I cut out firewood and thin, it's sorta looks parkish for a year or two until I get new aspen sprouts. Then the moose move in and chew aspen suckers, the odd deer around, but we have like 3 or 4 deer around here you hardly see. I took a video awhile ago before I started an area, no undergrowth, not even a hazel or a currant bush.  Stuff coming now. About 10 years ago I remember talking with a moose hunter I never knew, not from here, and he said he saw 7 or 8 deer sitting where he was at. I said I've been here for over 50 years and I've never seen more than 3 or 4 together ever. Anything is possible, but I'm thinking BS to. Same deer 2 or 3 times.  Go up the Tobique River watershed in winter, any time they were cutting wood you could count 50 deer or more in one bunch, no trouble at all. 

[Ianab]

I have relatives in Europe that come to visit from time to time. You're exactly right in your comments about the reaction to North American forest lands. "Oh my! Not tidy. So much work to do!"

They would freak out seeing NZ natural forest then. 

This is the Rotokare nature reserve, it's a local fenced off area with no introduced pests, they have even cleared if of mice now. They do have a nice "park" area at the carpark, lawn and picnic tables etc, and they keep the walking tracks clear. But this is basically what the forest looks like with no browsing animals (goats / possums / deer etc) 



The perimeter fence. Farmland and cows on one side, native forest on the other. 

[barbender]

 Andries, I have it on good authority that the Finns were disgusted by the condition of SYP forests in Georgia, too😂 Way too messy🤷

 I think the mindset is more one of, for them it is a limited natural resource that they need to maximize, and they can't understand what seems to be a total hands off management approach. I would agree with them in that we don't hold our forests in high enough regard.

[Ianab]

I guess if you are "farming" trees, then you want it to look like a "farm"? Tidy rows, no weeds etc.