Triple C's Place

[Triple C]

TripC,
Has your forester recommended any growing season burns on your place to help with hardwood invasion in your pines?
Seems to be a very popular practice these days.

gut_pile - Great question and the answer is yes. We were scheduled for a burn this Spring but the wet weather just never allowed it to happen. We have 2 ages of pine - 28 yr old stand and 18 yr old stand. The 28 yr old stand has been thinned 3 times and burned 3 times. The 18 yr old stand just had it's first thinning in the fall of 2015 and spring of 2016. It is ready to burn. Just couldn't get it done this year. The 28 yr old stand has little hardwood competition due to the kill back from previous burns. Awesome habitat now with all manner of forbs, browse and cover underneath. The 18 yr old stand is just as thick but has a lot of sweet gums popping up that must be eliminated. Burning will get it done.

 

[gut_pile]

I'm seeing more and more people go to growing season burns. My understanding is it has to be done different than a burn that would normally be done in February or early March. Much smaller areas within a pine stand, rather than possibly burning the whole stand (depending on acres of course). The most common phrase I hear and read is "burning in a mosaic pattern".

I hate the idea of people burning in April and May when so many hens are on nest and so many fawns being born, but I also some people have different ideas and some studies show if done correctly, it doesn't have a huge impact.

Are you going to try to burn in June or July possibly? I have even seen a few videos of Chuck Sykes burning in August to rid pine stands of hardwood competition.

 

[Triple C]

I'm seeing more and more people go to growing season burns. My understanding is it has to be done different than a burn that would normally be done in February or early March. Much smaller areas within a pine stand, rather than possibly burning the whole stand (depending on acres of course). The most common phrase I hear and read is "burning in a mosaic pattern".

I hate the idea of people burning in April and May when so many hens are on nest and so many fawns being born, but I also some people have different ideas and some studies show if done correctly, it doesn't have a huge impact.

Are you going to try to burn in June or July possibly? I have even seen a few videos of Chuck Sykes burning in August to rid pine stands of hardwood competition.

No plans to burn until next year. I've never conducted a warm season burn and don't know of any property owners around me that do, particularly in pines. As you probably know, I'm in the heart of loblolly pine country. Timber company land and private land that is burned to eliminate hardwood competition in pine stands around me is burned in late winter or early spring up through about the end of April. Maybe hotter burn strategies just haven't made their way to my neck of the woods. My neighbor that manages about 900 acres of pine plantation told me years ago that he burns when the sweet gum leaves are about the size of a mice's ear...just when they break bud and begin to form leaves. That's usually late March and early April. Seems to work well of us. About 1/3 of the hardwood stems are killed with each burn. Over the course of a few years, it's mostly native forbs and grasses under the pine canopy with very little hardwood competition. You guys grow a lot of pine timber over there as well so I'm always interested in learning more about managing pine.

 

[THE LLC]

We will burn this month or in July in our pines to rid us of sweetgums. May not kill the roots but I guarantee it will cook their sap, top kill what's there now, and prevent them from storing energy for the winter. Should weaken them enough that the next fire will get the roots too.

We have done this twice before with much success. But don't do it any where near oaks you want to keep.

 

[dogghr]

When does your clover give out in the south? Mine usually does well till Aug then rebounds in Sept. Turtle pic was good but article on news the other day recommended stopping your car and helping turtles get across the road! At first I was bewildered but then thot just thin the gene pools of the idiots that would like to dodge my logging trucks while saving a turtle. Place looks great young man.

 

[David]

LLC....do you value the cover/bedding aspect of the under growth in your pine?

Do you worry about losing cover after setting back the sweet gums?

We will burn this month or in July in our pines to rid us of sweetgums. May not kill the roots but I guarantee it will cook their sap, top kill what's there now, and prevent them from storing energy for the winter. Should weaken them enough that the next fire will get the roots too.

We have done this twice before with much success. But don't do it any where near oaks you want to keep.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[THE LLC]

Yes on both, but native grasses, dog fennel, fireweed, etc come back the next spring. I’ll sacrifice a year to be rid of the sweet gums though I must admit thinned pines with a few sweet gums sure makes a pretty place to hunt.

 

[Triple C]

When does your clover give out in the south? Mine usually does well till Aug then rebounds in Sept. Turtle pic was good but article on news the other day recommended stopping your car and helping turtles get across the road! At first I was bewildered but then thot just thin the gene pools of the idiots that would like to dodge my logging trucks while saving a turtle. Place looks great young man.

dogghr...With timely rains, the Regal Graze ladino seems to just keep putting out new growth all the way through summer. Key words...timely rains. The last few years have been wet summers but that's not a guarantee down here. I'm anxious to see how the durana clover does this summer as we really get into the hot months and particularly if it turns dry. The regal graze has been a work horse for me.

 

[THE LLC]

AC, durana will outperform regalgraze as far as persistence. Or, has for me at least. But, that said, I REALLY like using regalgraze---grows taller.

 

[Triple C]

AC, durana will outperform regalgraze as far as persistence. Or, has for me at least. But, that said, I REALLY like using regalgraze---grows taller.

Tommy...In my 8th year of doing the habitat thing and in spite of all I've read and learned from guys like you and many others, still feel like I know so little. I mixed in a good dose of durana this year and am just now learning to tell the difference by height and size of the leaves. Regal Graze is kicking it right now.

 

[THE LLC]

Still learning myself buddy.

 

[Turkish]

Growing season burns would be a helluva lot more popular in the South, but for one factor. It’s just way too dang hot.

 

[Triple C]

Man, Brooks did a hell of a lot with that machine and one hell of a job. Good stuff. Great pics. I don’t know what looks better, your habitat or your meals!

Ha! I'll take credit for the meals and give Brooks credit for the skid steer work. Water hole he created 5 weeks ago is bout half full now. Got a camera on it and catching the usual suspects...deer, pigs n turkeys.

TripC,
Has your forester recommended any growing season burns on your place to help with hardwood invasion in your pines?

Seems to be a very popular practice these days.

Best burn we've ever had was an early April burn with an east wind when the sweet gums were just leafing out. It does a number on young hardwood saplings. We missed our burn window this year and definitely need a burn next year, particularly in the recently thinned pines. Lots of hardwood stems shooting up. Habitat has never looked better than it is right now. So much browse and cover throughout the pine stands. I've been overrun with rabbits this year as they have so much more cover than prior to thinning. And the quail are loving the habitat as well. Mating calls going on all across the property in the pines.

 

[Triple C]

Twins checking out one of the clover patches. Getting pics of yotes weekly so hoping this young pair make it.

 

[THE LLC]

Love the looks of the waterhole, AC. We try to build them but they don't hold water due to our sandy soils. Got to have the only place in north Georgia without red clay. LOL

 

[Triple C]

Love the looks of the waterhole, AC. We try to build them but they don't hold water due to our sandy soils. Got to have the only place in north Georgia without red clay. LOL

Your spot on Tommy. No clay = no water hole. Even the type clay makes a difference on our place. The best at holding water is the yellowish clay like the pic posted above. That stuff sets up like concrete.

 

[dogghr]

I was noticing the road leading away from new waterhole and looks like you should get something and trim those tree limbs back somehow. Place looks great and looking at those thickets, it just has to be a deer paradise for browse , bedding and safety. Good stuff.

 

[Triple C]

HA!!! That damn saw is wearing me out! Bout to go in a supervisory role with that saw and delegate boys and grandson to pole saw duty. Or at least the clean up process. It's fun cutting...not so much fun dragging. Problem is that oldest son and grandson live 1.5 hrs away and grandson is involved in year round sports so they seldom get down. Least that's their excuse. Brooks gets most of it dumped on him cause he's close by and no kids. But...even he hasn't ran the pole saw yet. Think he's thinking he does enough and gonna leave the limb trimming to dad. All good.

As for the browse...It's nuts. The thinned pines from a couple of years ago are nothing but a maze of head high stuff. I'm thinking the canary in the coal mine is the number of rabbits and quail utilizing the property. 3 years ago...few bunnies and a couple covey of quail. Today...freakin' bunnies are everywhere and can't go anywhere on property and not hear bobwhite's doing their thing.

 

[gut_pile]

It seems the SE is having a bounce back with the wild quail population.

In the past two years I have seen more quail than I have him in my lifetime and seeing them in places they haven't been seen in over 20 years. Hopefully that trend continues

 

[bcoving]

MS State University is doing research right now on warm season burning. I dont think they're done but they believe it will be proven it is better to burn late. Not only to get better kill on hardwood competition but its also better for wildlife habitat. I listen to a podcast where they were talking about it but I dont remember why.