WV Forestry Workshop and met a Forum Member

[Weekend_Sawyer]

 I was at a forestry workshop last weekend in the West Virginia Eastern Panhandle. It was held at the Castos tree farm in Largent WV, there were some very good speakers, a rep from Quality Deer Management Association, a forest ranger and my very own Forester who has helped me with my stewardship plan and who had my paperwork to regester my land as a tree farm (soon very soon).

Throughout the morning, speakers kept being interrupted by the drumming of a Ruffed Grouse. I thought someone was having trouble getting a single cylander engine running. I could imagine him pulling the cord and Bub bub bubbubbubbubbub bub and it would quit. I had not heard one since I was a kid.

Lunch was fantastic and another distraction. All morning while the speakers were giving their presentations and the grouse was trying to get his engine running, the chefs were cooking roast beef in a 55 gal drum smoaker and cooking a huge turkey in a deep fryer, they also had what looked like a hog boiling pot and were frying chicken in it. I was about to pass out!

After lunch we loaded up onto flatbed trailers with straw bales as benches and took a tour of the Casto tree farm, what a beautiful place. You could tell they are passionate about their famly farm. We toured a new clearcut of about 10 acres, visited an area of about 2 acres that he had fenced off from deer and bears just to see what it would look like. It was dense in vegitation with a crowded understory where outside the fence was sparce with mature trees only and no understory. It seems we have about 40 deer per Square Mile (edit, I had incorrectly said acre) on land that should only have about 20. 

The last place we visited was a 7 year old 40 acre clear cut. It had not been touched after the cutting just to see what would happen. It is so dense that you can't walk through it. Mostly poplar but oaks and other hardwoods were coming in too, average height looked to be about 10'. The question was asked why the deer didn't clear off the young trees and the answer was that the area was so large that the deer could not eat it all, also he has food plots and tries hard to manage hes herd.

While we were viewing the clear cut a young man came up to me and asked if I was a forum member, he said he had seen my picture here. He said he doesn't post much but had gained a welth of knowledge here. I tried to imprint his name but I am bad with names AND I had just kicked a stump and disturbed a bunch of red ants and a couple of them were trying to head north .  So If you read this buddy, I would like to apologise for seeming distracted. Please step up and re introduce yourself.

Here is a link to the 2005 workshop that was held on the Casto Tree Farm

http://conservationforestry.org/States/States_WVA_FieldDay.cfm

I have no association with this group, only that they wrote up the 05 gathering.

Jon

[Weekend_Sawyer]

 Also, Mr Casto had planted Silky Dogwood, Autumn Olive and red Honeysuckle along the edges of his feed lots They all have berries and form a sort of hedge row so the deer will feel protected. Well the bears have been busiy breaking them off or breaking branches out of them they also go after his fruit trees. Lots of damage to small trees. He has tried putting wire cages around the trees and putting barbed wire around the cages, the bears don't seem to be even slowed down. This concerns me as I am trying to get a small orchard going on my place.

Jon

[thecfarm]

Sound like you had a good day.I don't have much damage from widlife.I do have deer,but not eough to do alot of damage to anything I care about.I would plant  4-6 fruit trees and see what happens.

[Larry]

Also, Mr Casto had planted Silky Dogwood, Autumn Olive and red Honeysuckle along the edges of his feed lots They all have berries and form a sort of hedge row so the deer will feel protected.

I don't know about silky dogwood or red honeysuckle but autumn olive is an invasive species.  I planted it upon the recommendation of our conservation department for the animals...yes the animals liked it but after about 10 years it decided to takeover our farm.  I exterminated it (I think) but it was a lot of work and a long battle.