I was out on some public land near me (rock creek wma in OK) where I was surprised to find that it had been aerial sprayed killing a great number of trees. If I understand the regs correctly for this area you are not supposed to use screw in steps or bow hangers for fear it would damage or kill the tree. Then they go and kill literally thousands of trees intentionally. Gotta love it haha.
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Oh the irony…
- Thread starter John 35
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I expect it’s some kind of habitat management strategy. I’ve seen them spray strips into mature timber areas before but nothing on the scale I saw yesterday.
Here in Michigan they just sell the timber rights to the loggers and they just come in mow 'em down. Locally here I've identified over a 600 acres of new clearcuts this year alone. Sometimes it feels like the local DNR forester has access to my Huntstand data as it they seem to focus on specific areas where I have deer trails and potential stand locations marked.
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Iron_llama
Well-Known Member
I'm curious what the management goals here are. Restoring native prairie? Removing invasive species? Controlled burn?
Edit: As per https://www.wildlifedepartment.com/hunting/wma/northeast/osage-wma-rock-creek-unit, " Approximately 25 acres are planted annually to cool season grasses and legumes. Controlled cattle grazing and prescribed fire are utilized to manipulate habitat on about 9,500 acres and about 50 acres of openings are created and maintained with herbicide, tree shear, or mowing. "
Edit: As per https://www.wildlifedepartment.com/hunting/wma/northeast/osage-wma-rock-creek-unit, " Approximately 25 acres are planted annually to cool season grasses and legumes. Controlled cattle grazing and prescribed fire are utilized to manipulate habitat on about 9,500 acres and about 50 acres of openings are created and maintained with herbicide, tree shear, or mowing. "
They did a fall burn on it back in 21 I believe. The area is heavily infested with sericea lesbedeza, which is a highly undesirable invasive weed and fall burning is meant to help control it. I expect they are trying to “open it up” as much of the wma is mature “black jack” white oak timber. However the more they remove the trees the more the sericea will spread as it thrives in open spaces.
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I’ve never understood the logic of aerial spraying chemicals for forest management. There’s so many legitimate ways to kill trees. There’s no need to poison the land, animals, the air and the water.
Here's the real irony - Governments introduced it and now have to control it.
Sericea was promoted in the past to control soil erosion and provide forage for livestock and wildlife. It has been planted by both federal and state agencies on flood control dams, channelization projects, rights-of-way on highways, county roads, and private roads. From these plantings, sericea has been spread by animals and hay into native prairies, shrublands, forests, and introduced pastures. Reliance on single management practices such as grazing, burning, or spraying herbicides does not control sericea lespedeza adequately. However, initial reports indicate that integration of burning, grazing, and applying appropriate herbicides can help manage sericea and ultimately benefit the health of native plant communities, introduced pastures, cattle production, wildlife habitat, and biological diversity.
Sericea was promoted in the past to control soil erosion and provide forage for livestock and wildlife. It has been planted by both federal and state agencies on flood control dams, channelization projects, rights-of-way on highways, county roads, and private roads. From these plantings, sericea has been spread by animals and hay into native prairies, shrublands, forests, and introduced pastures. Reliance on single management practices such as grazing, burning, or spraying herbicides does not control sericea lespedeza adequately. However, initial reports indicate that integration of burning, grazing, and applying appropriate herbicides can help manage sericea and ultimately benefit the health of native plant communities, introduced pastures, cattle production, wildlife habitat, and biological diversity.
They did indeed introduce it. I believe it came out of Asia. Now it’s all over the Midwest.
That has got to be a bit frustrating. I have some spots on public land where I have put a lot of time into “fine-tuning” a stand location to get it “right”. Between scouting and hunting, sometimes it takes a couple of years to get the right tree selected; can’t imagine I’d be very happy to see an area clear cut after putting that much time into it! But I suppose that is a trade off with public land. Would be nice if they’d publish that type of information ahead of time!
michigandrake
Well-Known Member
I hear yah. My upland stands in Lake County have near 100% turnover every 7-10 years. Sometimes stands that don't get cut dry up as the deer adapt to the new edges, cover (or lack of cover) and food sources. I have embraced the cutting and enjoy the new challenge ..... not many other options when it comes to hunting public land in the timber belt. It is a continuous evolution. Deer love cuttings and they are the only reliable food source where I hunt so silver lining.
michigandrake
Well-Known Member
Michigan posts all timber sales by county with maps and cutting descriptions. When the field marking happens there will be a hard map in the forest. The loggers usually have a couple of years to make it happen so when they cut is a little sketchy.
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Maybe trying to create more successional growth for upland species??
You aren't just kidding about the lack of warnings. My wife and I were out shed hunting on one of the WMAs near here this spring. As we were driving out from the parking area on the way home, there was a truck crawling down the road starting a controlled burn. Went back the next weekend, and it had burned to the edge of the parking area, just a couple feet from where my bumper would have been.
To my knowledge the answer is no. I once pulled into a wma parking area in the early spring intending to fish a creek. I started hearing an intense amount of gun fire and a loud engine just be fore a helicopter cleared the tree line a few hundred yards away. Turns out they were doing some wild hog management that day, you better look out if your in lol. Needless to say I left.
You definitely weren’t exaggerating about the parcel I asked you about last year. That place was cleared out.
Yeah, and that wasn't even mowed, it was just "select cut". I hadn't even counted those types of cuts in my acreage total.
Ruckerduck
Member
I was up there a couple of weeks ago and wondered what was happening to the trees