Woodland Management + Tree Care

[CraigHardy]

Adding Hemlock Trees​

I have an interesting question for you. Let me start with a bit of background first. I've got a large piece of wooded forest that's got all sorts of trees growing on it. White pine, white and black spruce, balsam fir, maple, white birch, yellow birch, black cherry, hophornbeam, beech, hemlock, and white cedar. There are most likely a few more species, but this is all I can think of right now. As it stands, much of the forest has white pine growing predominantly in it. It appears that the white pine has outgrown all other species of tree through the years and in doing so, it's shaded out many trees. I can see the spruces, cherries, and white birches being affected the most. Apparently white pine grows quickly and when it gets taller than the surrounding trees, those trees cease getting the sun they need to survive and they die.

I'm not in love with the white pine. I do like all the other species, but the white pine is just too large. I wouldn't mind taking some of that species out of the woods and replacing it with eastern hemlock. The hemlock tree is my all time favorite tree and I would love to include it in my forest so it becomes the predominant species. My question is, how do I go about doing this without calling loggers in to remove the white pines? I don't love logging companies and there's no faster way to make a once beautiful piece of property hideous looking than to call one of them in to do some logging. Boy do they ruin the woods. They'll tell you all sorts of things about how they benefit the woodlands, but after living in my area for a number of years now, they don't benefit the woodlands. They just like to believe that. Anyway...

I am aware of the hemlock woolly adelgid that's affecting hemlock trees all over the place. This gives me concern because if I ever managed to get a nice hemlock forest growing, I'd be crushed if all the trees dies because of an invasive insect. Part of me says that I should simply let what's growing best naturally grow.

If you've got experiencing with woodland management, please let me know. Has anyone every changed the type of tree that predominantly grows on their land? How did they go about it? I should have been a forestry major in college. Thanks!

 

[CraigHardy]

Difference Between Forest & Woods​

I went hiking this afternoon in the forest or woods and while I was there, I began thinking to myself, "What's the difference between these things? You know, a forest and the woods?" I mean, I've heard of both "areas," I guess you could call them, all my life, but I never actually gave it much thought. I have always considered a forest as having enormous trees that go on and on forever. And I've always thought of the woods as being behind someone's house in a neighborhood. I don't think I'm too far all with my descriptions because, wouldn't you know it, there is a difference between the two. Would you like to see what I learned through my extensive internet research this afternoon?

Let me begin by telling you that nobody is going to say that you're wrong for using the incorrect term when it comes to discussing the thick. Whether you say forest or woods is up to you. If I had to guess, I'd estimate that only about two people on earth know what's actually what, so don't sweat it. And even when you look in the dictionary, you'll find that the two terms are somewhat ambiguous. One dictionary said that forests are thick growths of trees that go on extensively and that woods are thick growths of trees. Really? That's as good as they could do?

Here's what the U.S. National Vegetation Classification says:

Forest: 60% to 100% of land is covered by a tree canopy.
Woods: 25% to 60% of land is covered by tree canopy.

So it seems that density has something to do with it, according to them.

Here's what the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization says:

Forest: Must be at least 1.24 acres. Trees must be at least 16 feet tall. Tree canopy must cover at least 10% of land.
Woods: Must be at least 1.24 acres. Trees must be at least 16 feet tall. Tree canopy must cover at least 5% to 10% of land.

Not much of a difference there. I have no idea where they got 1.24 acres from, but that's not much land at all. I can't imagine a forest existing on 1.24 acres. That's like someone's front yard. But, at least there's some sort of measurement of land.

I was discussing this topic today with a friend. She said, "Who in the world says that they're going into the forest?" I sort of agreed. Not many people use that term. Unless, of course, they're going into a real forest, like a national forest or something. But it's got to be huge, like I said above. Like something that covers half the state of Wyoming. I would say that I'm going into the woods if I were going to hike something like that. Conversely, if I were walking around the smaller woods near Main Street and the baseball field, I wouldn't say that I'm hiking in the forest. Intuitively, I think we all know the difference.

 

[CraigHardy]

Tops of My Pine Trees are Dying​

About half way through last summer, I noticed the beginnings of some browning on one of my prized Norway Spruce trees. I’ll admit that I was somewhat appalled because, after all, I planted these trees when they were just little babies and I’ve grown rather attached to each one of them. The thing is, the browning began at the top of the tree mid-way through the summer, but by the end of it, half of the tree was dead. The top half. Initially, I thought that I hit the tree with the lawnmower and perhaps damaged one of the roots beneath the soil. That would explain the slow demise of things, starting with the top. I actually transplanted the tree this spring and as I was doing that, I cut the dead part out. I haven’t thought about its situation since.

Funny thing happened yesterday. As I was walking by another one of my trees, I noticed some deadness about it. The leader (the new growth that sprouts from the tip of the tree) was curled and dead. It was brown and crispy and the needles were falling from it. I said to myself, “Now this is just too much of a coincidence. Two trees, same symptoms?” After this discovery, I rushed to the backyard where I thought I saw something similar occurring a few days ago. Low and behold, the top of one of my young White Pines was dying out in the same way. And then I saw another spruce…and another. Four trees in all had the same symptoms; the top leader of new growth was turning brown and dying. Mind you, I’ve got over 100 of these trees, so things haven’t turned too serious yet, but still.

I became concerned, so I looked the symptoms up on the internet. Apparently, this type of thing is quite common among Norway Spruces, White Pines, and a few other types of pines. The culprit appears to be what’s referred to as the White Pine Weevil. This is a small beetle type bug that, very early in the spring, drills tiny holes in the new growth of some pine species and lays eggs in those holes. The sap drips out of the openings and the babies, when hatched, feed on that. I think. The result of all this is a dead two years of growth on the tree. If you’re lucky. From what I’ve seen from my situation from last year, things get worse year over year.

Otherwise, I’ve been having an awesome year as it pertains to new growth on my Norway Spruces. Check it out.



I’ve got about 30 inches just this year on some leaders. It’s been crazy with the rain. These trees like the water.

This is the tree I had to cut yesterday. The internet told me to begin the cut a few inches below where the damage begins. I did that. I also did that last year, but the damage continued to get worse. I have a feeling I’ll lose last year’s tree. This is this year’s.



This is one of the branches that I cut from the first tree yesterday. Apparently, the tree begins dying at the top and then travels down to the branches.

Shepherd’s Crook​

When the leader begins dying, some folks refer to the result as a “shepherd’s crook.” Take a look at this. Here’s the damage from yesterday’s tree.



Here are a few up close shots for you. The first shows some white dots, or fuzz, that I noticed yesterday.



Here are two more photos. I can’t tell if there are little holes in the tree or not. The top shot appears to be okay, but the bottom one shows some damage.

White Pine Weevil​

I cut some of the older tree out yesterday as well and the holes in that one were very noticeable. No doubt about what caused them. So now, I’ve got to buy some insecticide and treat these trees early in the spring, right around the time that this White Pine Weevil shows up. The last thing I want is more damage on my little baby trees. They say I need a chemical that contains bifenthrin, permethrin, or cyfluthrin. I’ll figure that out later on. For now, if you’re interested, you can take a look at a few resources I found on this topic.

https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/control_white_pine_weevil_in_early_spring

2021 Update​

I wanted to give a quick update about the beetle that kills the tops of Norway spruces and White pines. It’s a destructive little beetle, but it’s damage hasn’t been as bad as I thought it would be. A year and a day has passed since I wrote this initial post, so I thought I’d give some more information about what’s gone on the past year.

Okay, in the above post, I mentioned that I thought I was going to lose one of my entire trees that was attacked by the weevil. In fact, I didn’t lose the tree. What ended up happening was one of the side branches took the role of the top leader and the tree actually looks pretty good. As for the others, The four side branches have changed route and instead of growing out of and toward the sides, they’re now growing straight up, as the leader would have. What’s even better is that the trees don’t even show any damage. Unless someone knew pine trees and knew what they were looking at, I don’t think they would notice anything strange. And from what I hear, this weevil only eats trees that are on the smaller side. As mine grow larger and taller, they should outgrow this pest.

I also decided against buying the pesticide to deal with the bug. I forget why – perhaps I was being cheap or perhaps I didn’t care to invest the time in the trees. Who knows. But because of my laziness, about 10 more of my spruces and pines showed damage this year. Since I knew what I was dealing with, I went out with my clippers and chopped the damaged part right off. That seemed to stem the death and stop it from traveling down the trunk any farther than it needed to. So that’s what I think I’m going to do every year; I’ll simply watch for weevil damage and then head out with my clippers and remove the affected areas. These trees grow and heal themselves so fast that I actually don’t even think I’ll give things a second thought. I will tell you that I did see a few of the weevils on the tops of the trees this spring as I walked around the yard. They didn’t look identical to the ones in the videos though. Mine were black. When I saw one, I squeezed it in my fingers to get rid of it. Obviously I didn’t find them all because there was damage. Maybe I stopped a bit of that damage though.

 

[CraigHardy]

Tree Identification​

I'd like to use this thread to identify trees in my area and to get feedback on those identifications. Some trees I'm absolutely sure of, but there are others that are quite confusing. For instance, for the life of me, I can't tell the difference between red, white, and black spruce trees. But when it comes to rock (sugar), crimson, and red maples, I'm confident of my knowledge. To start off, I'd like to offer some good information on two different trees we have here in Maine. I'll post each below.

Identifying the Striped Maple​

This has got to be one of the strangest Maple trees I’ve ever seen. The first time I noticed we had one on the property was a few weeks ago. I was cutting down an Ash tree and saw an odd “weed” type plant growing next to it. I’d say the tree was about an inch and a half thick and only about ten feet tall. It sort of looks like on of those weird tree/bushes you see on the side of the road. Something that doesn’t grow very tall. If you look at the leaf picture below, you’ll notice that it’s kind of fleshy. That usually tips me off to a low growing plant.

Apparently I was wrong. What I found was, in fact, a tree and a Maple tree to boot. These types of Maples grow over 25 feet tall with a diameter of 8 inches. That’s a somewhat legit tree. It’s not the mighty Oak or anything, but it’s most definitely a tree.



We walked around the woods quite a bit today and now that I’ve identified what we’re looking at, I’m beginning to see these things everywhere. It helps that we’ve got leaves finally growing, because I would most likely pass these guys by. They are very small.

Now that we’ve got the story out of the way, let’s take a look at some pictures. First, here is a nice shot of a Striped Maple leaf:



Now, take a look at a Striped Maple branch or stem:



Do you have striped maples on your property? Are they limited to the northeast United States?

Identifying the Eastern Hophornbeam​

Have you ever heard of an Eastern Hophornbeam (or hop hornbeam)? No? Neither have I. I have now though because we’ve got one growing in the back woods.

I was walking around the woods yesterday, minding my own business when I happened to notice a tree that didn’t look like the typical Ash or Maple. I stopped, took a closer look and immediately thought it was a Hickory. It was the bark that made me think that. Then, I noticed the leaves. I said, “Nah, that can’t be a Hickory. The leaves are too small.” I was correct. It’s not a Hickory.



Good thing my friends up the road let me borrow their Forest Trees of Maine book, because one of today’s goals was for my lady and me to head outside and identify the tree. Here’s what it looks like:




As you can see, the bark does look like Shagbark Hickory bark. Of course, the Shagbark Hickory has much more coarse bark.

Since I have this book in my hands, I’m going to attempt to identify all the trees on our property. Some of them, such as the variety of Maples would be fun to really nail down with their formal names. Not the Latin ones, but the real ones, instead of saying, “Yeah, that’s a Maple.” Stay tuned.

 

[CraigHardy]

Tree Thinning in the Forest​

I have a whole bunch of trees outside in my 15 acres of land. They're beautiful, but there are a few areas that are quite messy. Trees down everywhere. I'm not sure it was this bad when we first moved into our house eight years ago, but it sure is bad now. I'm thinking that a few storms did most of the damage. Don't get me wrong - there were a good number of white pines and balsam fir trees that were down on the ground when we got here, but there are many more now. Every time I walk around the woods, I think to myself how nice it would be to clean it all up. Then, I think better of it.

There's a lot to forest management. Apparently, having a woodland that's as clean as a whistle is no good for the wildlife. They like brush piles to hide under and to live in. As far as downed trees, those are excellent for all sorts of animals to live in. Just yesterday, while I was doing some cleanup, I lifted a big rotten log to find a rather plump looking yellow spotted salamander. Her belly was huge, so I think she was/is pregnant. I picked her up and led her to a different rotten log and as soon as I put her on the ground, she burrowed under it. I feel bad even walking around sometimes, knowing how much is living back there.

Trees can become too dense on a piece of land. When that happens, none really grow very well. It's important to manage a piece of property if you've got a lot of trees on it. As for me, I've got tons of eastern white pine, balsam fir, hemlock, red and white spruce, red maple, red oak, green ash, paper (yellow) birch, and a whole lot more. The entire combination can get dense fast, so I do my best to thin out certain areas. Legend has it, the property I now own used to be farmland. We've got a few stone walls, which means someone, at some point, tilled the land to unearth those rocks. They also planted a whole bunch of black cherry trees which outlines the property boundaries. The problem with those cherry trees is that many of them are dying. Since a majority of the trees that began growing around them grow to up to 100 feet tall, the poor black cherries become shaded out. They only grow to about 30 or 40 feet tall, so once they're encapsulated by shade, they die off. I love black cherry trees, so seeing this happen breaks my heart. I've been clearing around some of them to avoid having them die altogether, but as for the ones that have already died, I've been cutting them up for firewood. This is what I did yesterday. I went outside with my chainsaw with the intention of cutting a trail to access some firewood that I had previously cut and ended up not only doing that, but also cutting down all the dead cherry trees along that trail.



On the plus side, I have a lot more firewood now, but on the minus side, I don't have these trees to admire anymore. Not that they were ever going to come back. Oh well.

As you can see in the above photo, I tried to throw the branches into a pile or piles. I do this because the rabbits and squirrels like it that way. I also cut the larger leaning trees down and try to get them to lie as close to the ground as possible. Like I already alluded to, salamanders live under them. Another benefit is that moss ends up growing all over them, which looks pretty. Being close to the ground also helps them rot away faster, which can take decades as it is.

I don't go back there with the intention of thinning the forest. I go back there with the intention of cutting down dead and leaning trees to use as firewood. While I'm there, I make trails to those firewood piles, which have the effect of thinning things out. I make sure to leave the species of tree I'd like to see grow larger in the future and cut down the ones I'm sick of looking at. We've got far too many eastern white pines; they grow too tall and add too much shade, killing the smaller more shade intolerant trees. This is what happened to the poor cherry trees.

We'll see what happens back there in the coming years. I'm excited to see how it all turns out. It's a constant process, but I feel like the more dead trees I take down, the more I benefit. And the more brush piles and logs I cut up to lie on the ground, the more the wildlife benefits. On top of that, the more I thin, the more the other trees benefit. I like to tell myself I'm doing something positive.

Brush Piles for Wildlife​

I've recently been doing tons of work in the forest. I've been cleaning up the many dead and fallen trees we have and I've been throwing all the logs and brush into big piles. In this particular area, I'm not necessarily cutting and stacking to gather firewood or make trails. I'm merely cleaning the forest floor because years of neglect has left it awful looking. My lady and I walk in the woods every morning with our coffee and seeing such a mess is disturbing. And really, when I say mess, I mean mess. Through the years, the white pine tree have grown very tall, effectively shading out the existing balsam fir trees. Many of those balsam firs have died as a result and have littered the forest floor with their corpses. It's gotten so bad that we haven't been able to even walk through the area. Last week, I told myself enough was enough and I began cleaning up.

Since I didn't want to remove any material from the woods, I decided to stack all the dead wood into piles. As I indicated in my above entry, brush piles make for excellent wildlife habitat. I've been doing some reading on the topic and I've actually become somewhat obsessed. I don't even think I'm cleaning the forest floor anymore. Now, I think I'm merely building brush piles for wildlife. So many creatures live in these piles, from rabbits to weasels to birds. When we feed the birds seed in the morning, we see them take the seeds from our hands and then rush to the interior of the piles to either hide them for storage or to crack them open to eat. It's nice to know I'm having a positive impact.

If you've got land and do a lot of chainsaw work, or even if you don't do work yet, I encourage you to do so. A little cleaning up can give you the logs and branches you need to build a wildlife brush shelter. I happen to live in Maine, so the animals I'm primarily interested in giving habitat to are hares, rabbits, chipmunks, woodchucks, weasels, skunks, red fox, garter snakes, salamanders and others. As far as feeder birds go, I'd like to see some growing populations of towhees, cardinals, cat-birds, sparrows, and junkos. Fly catchers also like brush piles, so I hear.

Just this morning, I snapped a few photos of what I've done so far. As of right now, I have eight quite substantial piles. I'm planning on a few more. I read that a larger number of smaller piles is better than a smaller number of large piles, but since I'll end up having so many piles, this is just the way things are going. I don't think the animals will complain. Please take a look at what I've done so far and let me know your thoughts.

By the way, I'm not using any building strategy with these. I'm cutting and piles. Each piles consists of large and small wood throughout.