Buckthorn Management on Public

[Patriot38]

Just went scouting. I noticed a huge section of buckthorn that was cut down. (MN). Many of the larger trees were just scored. Does the forest service score the trees and apply poison or is this more of a mark to cut down later?

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

 

[ricky racer]

 

[131north]

Never heard it called ring cutting, I always called it girdling but basically you're creating a standing dead tree by cutting through the cambium. Quick way to open up a forest floor to sunlight, but as the video said, pretty sketchy because that tree (or it's branches) can come down any time the longer it stands there dead. Usually you remove the bark in between those 2 cuts, so hard to say if that was a professional job or not...

 

[Lawson_vt]

Highly doubt that the Forest Service did that, check with your state game/land management agency.
Used to work for the Forest Service and that is not a project they would likely take on.

 

[walleyepatrol2]

Its called TSI or Timber Stand Improvement. I am assuming you were on MN DNR State or Forest land. This is often done to get rid of unwanted species while still leaving the timber to stand to allow for wildlife etc to use the dead and dying trees. A practical way to manage unwanted species when there is often no market for the undesirable species. They most likely cut the buckthorn and treated the stumps with herbicide the work is often done in winter months.

 

[Pooh]

I was hunting a MN wma a could years back and there was a group cutting buckthorn down. They did put a blueish liquid of some sort on the stump once cut.

 

[woodsdog2]

Its called TSI or Timber Stand Improvement. I am assuming you were on MN DNR State or Forest land. This is often done to get rid of unwanted species while still leaving the timber to stand to allow for wildlife etc to use the dead and dying trees. A practical way to manage unwanted species when there is often no market for the undesirable species. They most likely cut the buckthorn and treated the stumps with herbicide the work is often done in winter months.

Yes this exactly ^^^^^^ however, we call the specific technique "girdling" and it is a technique of forestry management that typically does not employ the use of a herbicide as so aptly described above by @walleyepatrol2 Typically, if they are going to use a herbacide they will make a slash with a hatchet and inject that way. In my experience, they do one or the other and typically not both to cut down costs but that is all up to the specific DNR or DEC agency.

 

[Iron_llama]

When I did buckthorn remediation (an Eagle Scout project in the 90s, so probably obsolete info) we cut everything and painted the stumps of anything too big to uproot. I'm not familiar with girdling as a means of buckthorn remediation but I don't doubt that it would probably work. I know in MN the DNR uses Minnesota Conservation Corps (MCC) labor - as I understand it that's a mix of volunteer and minimally-paid college labor, so there's a chance that a crew chief or someone was making things up as they went.
I'm curious, who owns the land you were on? National Forest, State Forest, State Park, WMA, etc.? If it's state land there's probably a local DNR office who could provide details.

 

[woodsdog2]

I'm not familiar with girdling as a means of buckthorn remediation but I don't doubt that it would probably work.

Girdling is used on larger caliper trees 4" diameter plus way up to extremely large trees. You just saw completely around the tree about an inch deep or so, I've seen two or three cuts in some instances and the tree still lives for a few to several years but slowly dies and will eventually fall over on its own or from wind storms. I've never seen it used on small stemmed trees and shubs as you can just remove them completely or apply a herbacide. We use it often on one of the properties I hunt on to manage Beech. The owner lets me also cut firewood, in return I will do some minor tree work for him like girdling, grape vine removal, cull tree cutting etc.