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smitty136
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# Posted: 6 Dec 2024 11:11am
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Hi folks,
I'd be interested to hear about your landscape restoration efforts. I do love our little cabin, but my focus now is restoring our 43 acres to health and diversity. The condition of most of our Missouri forests are the result of successive "high grading"(harvesting the best trees and leaving lower quality trees). This property where our cabin is was "selectively" harvested (high graded) right before we bought it. I wont be around to see it come into fruition, but my goal is to set it on a good trajectory.
I'm curious what you guys are doing.
Thanks, Mike
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Brettny
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# Posted: 6 Dec 2024 11:39am
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I would tall to a forester if your trying to build timber value.
Our 10ac was part of a 65ac piece that all the large black cherry was cut off of the year before we bought it. They made a nice trail system in out 10ac section and didnt really mess things up..becids all the tree tops left. I dont plan on building any timber value as 10ac is a bit to small to log in my area unless there taking nearly every tree. We mostly now have beautiful telephone pole shaped maple and to many beech.
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ICC
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# Posted: 6 Dec 2024 12:32pm
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Check with your state forestry department. They should be able to send out someone who can asses what you have and who can advise what to do for improvements. There may even be some cost-share plans for carrying out their recommendations.
Also check federally. The NRCS has also assisted financially with various re-foresting and re-grassing areas. They also come out and inspect and make recommendations. All their looking and recommending comes at no cost. Then they make recommendations and will advise how the costs would be shared.
We have used both state and federal assistance.
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smitty136
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# Posted: 6 Dec 2024 01:18pm
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Thanks guys, I can definitely appreciate your suggestions to use a forester and look into state agencies. I've been taking advantage of what our Missouri Department of Conservation offers for land owners for this property and another property that I sold to buy this one. I'm 4 years into improving this forest and already see nice progress. Our local forest are primarily oak/hickory with a mix of other species. We're just on the edge of the historic range of shortleaf pine which is the only pine native to our area. It's the only species that I've attempted to introduce to this property. Unfortunately the deer population is way out of balance so they make regeneration of certain plants including pines very difficult. I've had another state agency do two prescribed burns for me and I plan to continue periodic burns. It's really interesting to watch the transformation happen.
Mostly I'm just curious about what other people are doing to restore our damaged landscapes.
Thanks, Mike
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gcrank1
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# Posted: 6 Dec 2024 01:53pm
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We have about 9+ acres in a square, surrounded by mixed trees and meadow up the middle, cabin sits about center near the thicker tree line on the west.
This used to be an oak savanna so we've been kicking back the volunteer seedling from the meadow, cleaning up the deadfalls and ugly stuff and thinning out around the proper keeper trees. My guess is we have a decade worth of work yet so no shortage of things to do.
Ive thought about having the county forester come in to make a plan but decided we have a plan....and Im picky about who I want nosing around.
There is likely available info for your area for 'woodlot improvement' if you do a bit of searching; idea is usually to keep 'native to the area' species and remove the 'invasive'/undesireable ones.
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ICC
Member
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# Posted: 6 Dec 2024 02:37pm - Edited by: ICC
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Quoting: smitty136 Mostly I'm just curious about what other people are doing to restore our damaged landscapes
We've thinned trees using a contractor with big machines. An area family business they started as loggers in the 30's and now do restoration work. Thin out the trees leaving an assortment of ages and sizes. The removed trees either go to the sawmill, for firewood, mulched or chipped.
We've also constructed a number of ponding areas to hold water from big rains. That has moderated or eliminated some flash flooding from the downpours.
In some places where there were wildfires we have planted seedlings after having the restoration logger take down the burned trees. Some of those were taken to a saw mill, some chipped, some laid across slopes, some given away as firewood.
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