Stone Branch, build it, they will come.

[Mennoniteman]

What's all that low greenery in post #1817 pictures??

That's an excellent question! What you are looking at there is the result of some of the best deer management anywhere, thinning junk trees so quality fruiting and nut trees can grow faster, and new oak seedlings can get started, but even more importantly, allowing sunlight to hit the ground results in an explosion of undergrowth comprised of quality tree seedlings, native forbs, fungi, and plants of varied beneficial species, most of them being deer food to boot.
Also, the prescribed fire that George used in these areas does just as much as the sunlight to kickstart new growth like this. An area that looks like this is way more valuable than a cultivated food plot because it's also bedding area and fawning cover all in one, and less maintenance than an annual food plot. This growth also provides more winter food through quality browse than most food plots do.
So, to summarize, what we're looking at there in #1817 is truly the holy grail of habitat management. When G took on managing what was virtually a deer habitat desert I knew that it would take him a few years to produce visual results, but the imagined potential, in this area at least, has become fulfilled reality this spring. I should know, because I was there and observed that growth in person, and it's more impressive than the pics do justice.
I'll let George explain it better, but your question was so good I couldn't resist.

 

[George]

What's all that low greenery in post #1817 pictures??

That's an excellent question! What you are looking at there is the result of some of the best deer management anywhere, thinning junk trees so quality fruiting and nut trees can grow faster, and new oak seedlings can get started, but even more importantly, allowing sunlight to hit the ground results in an explosion of undergrowth comprised of quality tree seedlings, native forbs, fungi, and plants of varied beneficial species, most of them being deer food to boot.
Also, the prescribed fire that George used in these areas does just as much as the sunlight to kickstart new growth like this. An area that looks like this is way more valuable than a cultivated food plot because it's also bedding area and fawning cover all in one, and less maintenance than an annual food plot. This growth also provides more winter food through quality browse than most food plots do.
So, to summarize, what we're looking at there in #1817 is truly the holy grail of habitat management. When G took on managing what was virtually a deer habitat desert I knew that it would take him a few years to produce visual results, but the imagined potential, in this area at least, has become fulfilled reality this spring. I should know, because I was there and observed that growth in person, and it's more impressive than the pics do justice.
I'll let George explain it better, but your question was so good I couldn't resist.

Thanks Menman, I tried to answer that question last evening but failed to do so. There really isn't any one predominant species but rather, probably dozens of species of plants in those pictures.

G

 

[KSQ2]

Thanks Menman, I tried to answer that question last evening but failed to do so. There really isn't any one predominant species but rather, probably dozens of species of plants in those pictures.

G

We kind of began the opposite way on our property 10 years ago. Of the roughly 35 acres of creek bottom cover, 9 acres (in 3 sections) of it had been difficult to access crop ground, later turned into hay meadow. We planted a number of hybrid oaks, along with dco, and sawtoothes. But for the most part, we have just let it grow. I'm guessing in another 10 years, I'll begin thinning unwanted trees and allowing forbs, browse, to continue to flourish. It's a literal jungle, even with some undesirables like sericea and johnson grass, the deer love it. It was in the Northern end of the bigger meadow where I killed my buck this past fall.

 

[Mennoniteman]

The scientific phrase for picture #1817 is #Early Succesional Habitat", aka ESH.
Lesson number one in deer habitat management school: There is no better deer habitat than ESH.
Lesson number two in deer habitat management school: There is no other type of deer habitat THAT'S EVEN HALF AS GOOD as ESH.
An acre of ESH produces six times as much deer food in one year as a one acre food plot does.

 

[KSQ2]

The scientific phrase for picture #1817 is #Early Succesional Habitat", aka ESH.
Lesson number one in deer habitat management school: There is no better deer habitat than ESH.
Lesson number two in deer habitat management school: There is no other type of deer habitat THAT'S EVEN HALF AS GOOD as ESH.
An acre of ESH produces six times as much deer food in one year as a one acre food plot does.

VERY cool info. Bill Winke has been talking about this a lot with the work on his new farm.

 

[George]

Figuring out a few things on day one of building timber frame inventory, starting out with a 14" and 13" smaller end, 16' 8" log.

1, moving trees around without a tractor is not easy. I bent one of my loading ramps.

2, cutting 9" square to finish 8 1/2" nominal at time of build.

3, I'm going to have some live edge to hide or incorporate into my build.

Also, super easy wood on saw and blade to mill.










G

 

[Flatiron75]

George - Is that a poplar log on the mill?

 

[George]

George - Is that a poplar log on the mill?

It is, tulip/yellow poplar.













G

 

[Mennoniteman]

George - Is that a poplar log on the mill?

You're going to need an Amish crew to help you get all those poplar beams up!

 

[KSQ2]

It is, tulip/yellow poplar.

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G

I like seeing those little ones this time of year. Haven’t seen one around here yet, but I don’t have any cameras out yet either.

 

[dogghr]

You going let lumber cure for a while before building ? Sure would be easier work w a tractor or loader. My back hurting just looking at pics


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[George]

You're going to need an Amish crew to help you get all those poplar beams up!

I've got you on speed dial.

I like seeing those little ones this time of year. Haven’t seen one around here yet, but I don’t have any cameras out yet either.

Increase food and cover and some things happen, does can produce more fawns, converse to intuitive thinking predator activity goes down, and more fawns survive.

You going let lumber cure for a while before building ? Sure would be easier work w a tractor or loader. My back hurting just looking at pics


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Strong muscle and fulcrum points. A year from now I can plane timbers square and straight. Now, it is a race against fungi, I have to get my cut logs up off the ground. Menman can attest, and has his doubts, I have a pile of good wood stretching 150 yards up into the ditch. That wood isn't cut into lengths and is mostly up off of the ground.



G

 

[Mennoniteman]

I've got you on speed dial.



Increase food and cover and some things happen, does can produce more fawns, converse to intuitive thinking predator activity goes down, and more fawns survive.



Strong muscle and fulcrum points. A year from now I can plane timbers square and straight. Now, it is a race against fungi, I have to get my cut logs up off the ground. Menman can attest, and has his doubts, I have a pile of good wood stretching 150 yards up into the ditch. That wood isn't cut into lengths and is mostly up off of the ground.

View attachment 29859

G

Yes, poplar is good straight grained wood, but lightweight and soft, and deteriorates rapidly if laying on the ground in the woods.

 

[Flatiron75]

It is, tulip/yellow poplar.

I thought so. We have a number of gigantic ones on our camp property. Tall & straight. There's an online video of a guy milling up poplar logs into dimensional lumber, and he said it mills pretty nicely. Easy on his band saw blades. Your beams look good in the pics.

 

[Mennoniteman]

I thought so. We have a number of gigantic ones on our camp property. Tall & straight. There's an online video of a guy milling up poplar logs into dimensional lumber, and he said it mills pretty nicely. Easy on his band saw blades. Your beams look good in the pics.

What part of PA is your camp? Weaber Lumber in Lebanon PA pays premium $ for poplar logs.

 

[Flatiron75]

What part of PA is your camp? Weaber Lumber in Lebanon PA pays premium $ for poplar logs.

NC Pa. mountains of 2G. In the Pa. "wilds". We don't have lots of them, probably 10 or 12 big ones - probably not worth the effort to get them out of where they are - steep and rocky.