Land management question

[Southern Heritage]

For all you guys that manage land for wild life I have a question. I own a couple hundred acres that is mostly low lying wet lands in west alabama. 70 acres was clear cut about 10 years ago and not re planted. So 5 years of owning it I’ve noticed its mostly garbage coming back. Just thick viney crap. I can’t plant it in pines as it’s to wet. So today I went in with my mulcher and just started clearing roads all through it. My question is should I be doing any thing else or even mulching? I don’t want to really get in there to hunt it. I want to leave it as a sanctuary with food plots on the outward edges. I just can’t decide if mulching roads etc is a good idea.

 

[dtrkyman]

Not being familiar with that type terrain I would highly recommend getting some local professional help.

Sounds like you could have an amazin sanctuary if managed properly!

Cutting a couple roads may be a good idea but I would want to get the most out of it!

 

[Southern Heritage]

Not being familiar with that type terrain I would highly recommend getting some local professional help.

Sounds like you could have an amazin sanctuary if managed properly!

Cutting a couple roads may be a good idea but I would want to get the most out of it!

I completely agree and I’ve actually tried. It’s tuff to get some one out unless you have 1000+ acres.
‘I do have calls out as Id love a good plan.
My current plan changes with the wind.

 

[dtrkyman]

I have had good success with cutting trails in CRP(grasslands) in the midwest. Multiple trails leading to the same food plot, as well as trails cut that connect points of timber.

Check with the state and see of there is some type of forestry program you can get into. Contact game and fish DNR etc.

 

[BIG_KUMAR]

Site specific and local expertise would be your best option, but we have had good luck with trying to get as much diversity as possible. Generally speaking, diversity has been very productive for us. Food plots, hardwoods, and brushy cover have always done well attracting and holding deer. We are also fortunate enough to have everything from creek bottoms to oak stands that drop massive acorns to help pull them in and keep them there.

 

[N2TRKYS]

For all you guys that manage land for wild life I have a question. I own a couple hundred acres that is mostly low lying wet lands in west alabama. 70 acres was clear cut about 10 years ago and not re planted. So 5 years of owning it I’ve noticed its mostly garbage coming back. Just thick viney crap. I can’t plant it in pines as it’s to wet. So today I went in with my mulcher and just started clearing roads all through it. My question is should I be doing any thing else or even mulching? I don’t want to really get in there to hunt it. I want to leave it as a sanctuary with food plots on the outward edges. I just can’t decide if mulching roads etc is a good idea.

What part of west Alabama are you in? If you’re close, I’ll do a site visit with you.

 

[Pickettpuncher]

Your dnr may provide a biologist who would come out and give you some recommendations. Simple phone call is all it takes. I’ve met with ours a few times

 

[Salmonchaser]

what was growing in the area they clear cut it? If you got rid of the vine crap, what would grow?

 

[Southern Heritage]

what was growing in the area they clear cut it? If you got rid of the vine crap, what would grow?

It was old growth hardwoods. most stumps I find are 2’+ across. Where I put the food plots I used a track hoe to dig them.

 

[dtrkyman]

I agree on diversity, but it souds like you may have that. I always start by looking for anything they do not have on a property.

In the midwest it was typically good bedding cover that was lacking.

 

[NEWHunter]

Put a couple lanes through there with that thing. 400-800 yards long, about 14 feet wide, and arrow straight. Go in once a year and knock down the vegetation. Sit on those lanes during gun season.

Do something good for the deer wherever you don’t have the shooting lanes. Best spot we had on our old property was a 300 yard lane right through the middle of a bedding area. The deer bedded around the last 150 yards of the lane. Action all day when deer would return in the morning, mill around during the day, and head out at night. Bucks cruising through - great spot.

Good luck.

 

[Forestryguy]

As said having someone with local knowledge is best to come look at it. If most of the stumps are 2' did, they are to mature to re-sprout. What is the garbage that is coming in, sometimes it is not always garbage. Just early successional species or shade tolerant that now can freely grow. If I remember right from some reading I did in college Sweet Gum is a big issue down there, in taking over sites.

 

[bigbahksdude]

Be careful with all this. Whether you like it or not those wetlands are most likely regulated at the state and federal level. I think most of us agree that conservation minded land management is noble, but don't get yourself into trouble running heavy machinery in a jurisdictional wetland.

That said, there are plenty of trees and shrubs which thrive in wet conditions. The National Wetland Plant List is a good start. If you're trying to establish good bedding cover, maybe think about planting several hundred cedar fingerlings, common alder, eastern swamp privet, and black willow. It also might be a good idea to plant some hardwoods you'd like to eventually see on your property since this woods will eventually mature over the next 80 years through natural forest succession unless heavily managed. Maybe think about establishing some swamp white oak, silver maples, red maples, river birch and cottonwood.

And then I found this with a quick google search: https://www.alabamawildlife.org/landowner-network/

Seems like engaging with an organization like this may be beneficial, but again do some research and make an informed decision. This specific organization may not align with your interests, however I'm sure there are others out there.

Also like @Forestryguy said, not all the recruits in the sapling and shrub stratum are necessarily bad. If you'd like to become an effective land manager it would good to start learning how to identify everything you see, and then cross reference their ecology. See if their ecosystem function is something you desire, and if so let them stay. Unfortunately, it is more than likely that the new growth in the sapling shrub stratum is mostly invasives. But confirm that before destroying what could mature into great bedding cover.

Now to get to your question: mulching (as long as it's a legal activity in the wetland) isn't necessarily a bad management practice. Ideally you want your property to have varying levels of successional growth, so mulching could provide edge habitat and break up a homogeneous habitat type. Whitetails thrive in areas which support a mosaic of varying stages of successional forest. So you'll want to make sure to provide them some older growth hardwoods, early to late successional tracts, and scrub-shrub habitat as well. I would try to maintain a way to access your property for management, therefore mulching paths could be a good idea. Again though, make sure you're not getting yourself into trouble. If your roads are dry enough you could try to plant them with some winter cover like annual rye and white/red clover.

 

[SuperDUECE22]

Beings there was old growth hardwood in their id try to clear some of the regrowth in areas and plant a mixture of the following:
1) Sawtooth oak
2) American Persimmon
3) Chickasaw Plum
4) Wild Crabapple
5) Red, Black & white Mulberry
6) Swamp Chestnut
7) Nuttall Oak

Use some sort of grow tubes like these https://www.treepro.com/ to keep the deer from damaging them. They are a lot of good varieties of dwarf fruit trees out their than can start producing fruit very quickly.

 

[N2TRKYS]

As said having someone with local knowledge is best to come look at it. If most of the stumps are 2' did, they are to mature to re-sprout. What is the garbage that is coming in, sometimes it is not always garbage. Just early successional species or shade tolerant that now can freely grow. If I remember right from some reading I did in college Sweet Gum is a big issue down there, in taking over sites.

I sold some pine timber for a guy a few years ago and sweetgum pulp was bringing as much as the pine.

 

[dr.mooseknuckles]

I'd try to replant it in some oaks, both red and white varieties that thrive in wet soil. I'd also do as mentioned and cut some lanes through it and try to plant your favorite food plot mix in the lane. Set up a stand and watch them come in out of that thick bedding.

 

[Forestryguy]

I sold some pine timber for a guy a few years ago and sweetgum pulp was bringing as much as the pine.

Species that are more competitive are not always a bad thing. The market was good for the commodity that you had on hand. As I'm sure you know it fluctuates with demand. I just remember hearing or reading something that Sweet Gum was an issue when trying to establish multi species plantings.

 

[N2TRKYS]

Species that are more competitive are not always a bad thing. The market was good for the commodity that you had on hand. As I'm sure you know it fluctuates with demand. I just remember hearing or reading something that Sweet Gum was an issue when trying to establish multi species plantings.

My first job out of college was managing helicopter herbicide crews over 5 states. I’ve definitely killed my fair share of competitive species.

Luckily, I don’t see too much, if any, multi species planting outside of a wildlife emphasis.

 

[LostArra]

The deer around here love areas of "thick viney crap" especially greenbrier and poison ivy. It's just not as visually satisfying as a food plot.