Maintaining the state park look

[livemusic]

Anyone know how state parks keep their 'look?' If you say 'state park look,' what does that mean? Seems to me it means no or very little understory. What is their reason for achieving this? Is it because a lot of the public likes to see trees but not brush or thick sapling growth? 

How do parks maintain this 'look?' Do they use mechanical means or fire? Anyone have any insight on the 'state park look?' Funny, I google that term and get nothing. Maybe it is called something else? "State park like" also gets nothing.

[doc henderson]

I had a tree guy state that when bidding some tree trimming for us.  It just meant taking off lower limbs and dead wood/branches and cutting back outgrowing limbs to make a canopy that looked manicured some.  state parks have crews that maintain things.  often it is in a campground so there are trees that folks can park camper beside and below.  at campgrounds there are usually areas that are dense and natural and other areas with no debris on the ground.

[JJ]

Campers looking for firewood and dry deadwood for fire starting.
Call it continuously browsed over

      JJ

[TroyC]

I volunteered at a state park in the Keys. We trimmed limbs and branches even with the board railing around the campsites. Weedeating to keep the campsites clear. A couple walkways where people walk were cleared so the vegetation would not interfere with walking. Other than that most was left to nature. There was no firewood or campsite fires permitted because the tree roots in the Keys are very close to the ground surface.

[Andries]

On our lake cabin roads, us owners need to do our own roadway maintenance. 
That includes taking off the lower branches, deadwood and brush at roadside. Especially important on the inside curve of the road, as it allows a driver to see on-coming traffic. 
I find that a limbing/pruning saw on a 10 foot ash pole is the tool of choice. A Stihl brush saw clears the ground level stuff, the pole saw gives the old logging trails that raised canopy park-like look. 
It's a fair bit of work - might be best suited to an older guy that likes to spend time in the woods with his dog.

[doc henderson]

Our camper is 13' 6" tall.  we have done our street.  lots of old trees.  with neighbors' permission, I pull the gooseneck behind the truck to stand on and use my gas Stihl pole saw and get all limbs above that.  knocked the antenna off our first trip home.  It is hard to tell how high it is from the cab of the truck.  cut limbs go on the trailer.  Most in town have no way to do this themselves but could be asked to hire it done if they do not allow me to do it.  we have had trucks refuse to deliver on our street due to the limbs over the roadway.

[thecfarm]

You mean like this?




This takes A LOT of time. Not so much work, but time. Well I say work, it took work to get it like this. But every spring I have to pick up branches and I do mean branches!!!!
I find a lawn mower works best to keep it clean looking. I pick up what I don't think the lawn mower will chew up and then I mow it and give it a park look.

[livemusic]

On our lake cabin roads, us owners need to do our own roadway maintenance.
That includes taking off the lower branches, deadwood and brush at roadside. Especially important on the inside curve of the road, as it allows a driver to see on-coming traffic.
I find that a limbing/pruning saw on a 10 foot ash pole is the tool of choice. A Stihl brush saw clears the ground level stuff, the pole saw gives the old logging trails that raised canopy park-like look.
It's a fair bit of work - might be best suited to an older guy that likes to spend time in the woods with his dog.

Hello, that comment is interesting... this ash pole, does it come from a sapling or cut from a piece of lumber? How wide? Why ash? We hardly have any ash around here but I know it is strong and I suppose it is light. Reason I ask is someone gave me a pruning saw on a pole, lol. But it's a steel pole and a bit heavy.

[Andries]

There's still a fair bit of ash in this part of Manitoba and Ontario.
I made my own because it's light, strong and springy. It's about the same dimensions and shape as a hockey stick handle - a fair bit longer though.
I'm kind of a gangly guy, at 6 foot two. So a 10 foot pole will let me reach up high enough to elevate the local native trees.
A one stud positioning screw, and a bolt with wingnut secures any old pruning sawblade to the end of the pole.
 Imitating what's on the end of your steel pole would be the way to go.

[SwampDonkey]

Fiskars sell pole saws on telescoping fiberglass poles.  Don't leave one in the woods because black bears like to chew on them. 

[47sawdust]

I do a little each year,after the snow is gone and before new growth begins. My tools of choice are an Echo clearing saw,a 12volt Milwaukee Hatchet,and a 40 volt Oregon pole saw.I usually run out of gas before any of the 3 of them quit running.
I like to open up the under story,it makes me feel good,hardly anyone else seems to notice.

[Old Greenhorn]

Andries, that is a neat idea and I am going to steal it forthwith! That is, as soon as I can find an Ash pole that is sound. EVERYTHING here is dead, but there are still some good sticks. I have the Fiskars that SD is talking about which was given to me by a neighbor after he ran over it. I fixed, and shortened it and it works pretty good and I like the clipper, but frankly if you take the branch at the truck, you don't need the clipper.
At any rate, I am gonna try this when I find 'the right stick' (which sounds like a Tom Cruise movie, but it isn't).
 And I am with 47, I like that feeling i get when the understory is clear, I don't know why and nobody else cares, but I'm happy.

[livemusic]

I do a little each year,after the snow is gone and before new growth begins. My tools of choice are an Echo clearing saw,a 12volt Milwaukee Hatchet,and a 40 volt Oregon pole saw.I usually run out of gas before any of the 3 of them quit running.
I like to open up the under story,it makes me feel good,hardly anyone else seems to notice.

I resemble your remarks! Do you do this for a small lot or acreage?

I was considering one of those battery "hatchets" for clearing saplings recently, Milwaukee brand because I have batteries, but didn't because mine are 18v and the Milwaukee hatchet uses 12v. A battery hatchet makes sense, because I often use an Echo 2511t chainsaw because it is so light. Those hatchets probably weigh about the same (shows how light the 2511t is!) but you'd enjoy no concern about cranking. I have the other two machine types you use. And also machetes!

[thecfarm]

I had the guy that use to truck for me ask me, That don't grow like that, does it?
As least he noticed.

[Andries]

CFarm, your place looks better than parklike - partly 'cause there's no tourists to be seen.
Tom and SD, I started off with the Fisker's on the fibreglass pole and found the whole flimsy affair rattled. Here I'm trying to have a nice quiet time elevating the bush and this things rattling in my hands like I'm waving castanets around.
I'm trying to sneak up on some of those bears, dang it. 
The ash pole came from milling a tree service ash trunk in Winnipeg which I trimmed down to a comfortable size with a ripping fence on a tablesaw and a bit of work with a spokeshave.
And that same tree service, (my sons) spotted me a nice, long, Silky brand blade, which had more or less the same attachment points as that musical Fiskers pole. It had a few teeth fried off by contact with an electrical cable, but was perfectly serviceable for what I needed.
It's quick and fast; start at the top of a slim tree, and each branch is only 4 inch pull on the saw for it to drop. I leave the fallen branches where they drop, starting as high up as I can reach and work my way down. Those bare, dry little branches turn into mulch on the ground after two seasons, even up here in the Great White North.
A sunny day, a sandwich and a water bottle, the saw and the pooch.
Can't think of a better way to spend a day out in the woods.

[Southside]

Y'all need some cows. They will do the work for you and you can eat them when they are done.  Managed properly cattle will absolutely lift up all of the low hanging branches to 7' or so, they will strip off any poison ivy, and hit green briar, saplings, and young black berries hard enough that they will die off.  Their hoof action helps to incorporate the leaf litter into the soil which allow grasses to sprout where the sun hits the ground.  

You can't just leave them there and forget about them or you will loose trees, but with rotational grazing under the canopy you can get that "park like" look. i will try to get some pictures as I have several groups with woods access right now.  

[Machinebuilder]

Livemusic

if you have a Milwaukee 18V Hacksall they make very good pruning blades for them.

I spent time this winter clearing out about 150' of brush and trees so my sunflower patch gets more sun.
I buy a bag of seeds sold for birdseed and hand spread it over about 1/3 acre.

I can sit in my barn watch my dogs run and when the sunflowers are ready there seems to be thousands of yellow and black chickidees.

[livemusic]

Livemusic

if you have a Milwaukee 18V Hacksall they make very good pruning blades for them.

I spent time this winter clearing out about 150' of brush and trees so my sunflower patch gets more sun.
I buy a bag of seeds sold for birdseed and hand spread it over about 1/3 acre.

I can sit in my barn watch my dogs run and when the sunflowers are ready there seems to be thousands of yellow and black chickidees.

I actually do also have a Milwaukee Hackzall. Just a few days ago, I grabbed it and tried to cut something and it was pitiful. I don't know how it got so dull! Then I wondered why did I buy this thing? I assumed that I bought it to cut sapling roots around my yard but it cut so pitiful this time, I figured I'd just sell it. Beats me, maybe it's another blade type on it that is not good for green wood. Regarding what I now need, I figured one of those battery hatchets would cut a sapling faster than the Hackzall and when you are bending over to cut, speed matters. My memory is failing me on use of that Hackzall in the past.

[barbender]

Andries, relating the proper size of Ash pole to a hockey stick is very Canadian of you😂 

[beenthere]

livemusic
A new blade for the hackzall should get  you back in business. 

[Andries]

Andries, relating the proper size of Ash pole to a hockey stick is very Canadian of you😂

Well, I just went with something everyone be able to relate to.
Like Manitoba or Minnesota or . . . oh oh, the op is in Louisiana!

[SwampDonkey]

Only in Canada. Hickory Sticks. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5A1GOUgvmlE

[barbender]

 It's been my experience that while most folks equate the "park-like" look with well tended, or healthy, that is not necessarily the case. If your aim is for your woods to look like a park, then great. However, if one of your goals is to have good wildlife habitat, having the understory cleaned up to the park like level is often the opposite of good habitat. 

 About 15 years ago, the State of Minnesota partnered with a forest agency in Finland to see what information and techniques could be shared. Some foresters from MN visited sites in Finland, what I remember them reporting back is that from a strictly timber standpoint, the Finnish forests were beautiful. Intensively managed and manicured, but also devoid of wildlife. I think I remember the term, "sterile" being used to describe them. 

 The Finnish foresters that visited Minnesota were taken aback by the diversity of wildlife in the forests they toured. I didn't hear it from them, but other Finns I've spoken to give me the impression that they think about our forest management kind of in the same way we think about the neighbor that has 3 broken down cars in the front yard, that hasn't been mowed all summer😁

 I've shared the story before, we had a huge windstorm that went through in 2012. We had a nice area of mature basswood and bur oak on our property that got ravaged. It made a real mess. Things being what they are, I never cleaned any of it up. The basswood blew over with the rootball attached, which are standing 6'-8' tall. The trees didn't die, but put up new shoots all along their trunks. This had the effect (I later learned) of creating corridors, which contractors that do deer habitat will charge you big money to create.

 Deer use this area to bed, and feed,and just hang out in general. They feel secure because of the cover apparently. We also have a lot of ruffed grouse back there. It's the worst looking spot on our property🤷

[thecfarm]

How right you are.
I keep another place kinda cleaned up, but don't pick up the branches like in the picture. But I have cut out the small fir, Fir don't grow good on my land, I want something else to grow.
I feed the deer right at that place. There is just about an open field on the other side.
The deer are waiting for me at night to feed them, but they wait in the neighbor's woods where there in cover for them to hide. The woods they come through to get the food is an open area.

[woodroe]

Interesting read.
 I consider my small 24 ac. park-like IMO more because of the trails
that criss-cross through it more than anything.
 Some roads for tractor or small truck and
some foot trails.
 Some pine stands with minimal undergrowth , other areas all hardwood and then mixed stands with fir undergrowth. Basically a mixed bag
 Agree that
many parks have those bare forest floors due to firewood scavenging.
 It does look cool but never gonna happen here.
Agree with barbender on what the leave it alone approach does to enhance wildlife
habitation.  ,standing dead, deadfall , blowdowns all help to create wildlife sanctuaries.
Not always the prettiest but beneficial.
Have a few acres right now that looks like a disaster zone down in a gulley hard to get to.
It's going to stay that way. Each to their own