How to Make Your Forest's Growth Rate Explode 

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Generational tree farmer here. Just getting my knowledge behind what your saying here. 🤯 In the early 70’s my parents bought land and has doubled the size of the land since. Having a logger in my opinion is the top priority when you are harvesting your timber. We’ve had both horrible and excellent. One was supposed to only harvest certain trees that we walked the property and marked with blue paint. When he came back he remarked him and then ended up clear cutting a quarter of the property. I seriously thought my dad was going to have a heart attack he was so mad. Needless to say that man never got the job again. Then you have the crew that damages perfectly healthy folks with their big equipment that you find after they come through and they have not shared this information with you. In our area we have a quilt going through. We have done everything the Forrester has recommended to slow the spread. Do you have any recommendations or ideas to help ? You always have to remember when planting and maintaining a forest. Is it’s not usually for you in most cases it’s for your grand children to be able to have the trees you grew up with. We’ve watched The Emerald Ash Borer come through and take all of the ash trees. We watched the pine beetle come through and take all the pain. Now it’s Oak wilt. It’s extremely hard to watch this happen to a 80’ oak have the leaves turn brown and fall off within a weeks time. Red Oakes are more susceptible to it than White Oaks. but to combine the oak tree world with the gypsy moth was to much for even some of the white oaks. To give you a taste of things we’ve tried with the Forrester‘s recommendation. We trenched 40 acres around all the affected trees cutting the roots then in the winter had those trees removed. We have gone around and sprayed a solution of dish soap and water to kill the nests. My mom actually paid all the grandkids and Nickel a piece to go around with the can and catch the caterpillars 😂. The boys were all for it and I think she ended up paying out over $50 to them 😂. She was a very smart woman.

New subscriber here - we have 1,200 acres of upland hardwood forest in middle Tennessee. The forest has suffered from generations of high grading resulting in the land being overstocked with less desirable species and cull trees. Additionally, we have invasive species issues in some areas. Ours is not a unique situation, you might want to do a couple of videos on recovery strategies for this situation.

Wow... i dont think a politician running for office could speak as fast as you young man. I dont mean that to sound unkind. I am a land owner here in the Southern Ozark's of Missouri and i have a few thoughts for you... mortality is not a problem, rather, an opportunity. Thin the woods only as your stand reaches firewood size. Let the old growth stand. It protects the younger growth under it. My fastest regrowth is always under these trees, and when drought or other natural occurrences happen the trees under them fair the best. That to me has value. A tree falling to ground also has value; it helps replenish the soil and stops erosion. Now with all that said let me confirm what a joy it is to listen and learn from you. It is nice to see a mind that is alive and thinking!

Good video. That’s pretty much what I try to do on my property, but I find it even more helpful to take dead AND dying. I walk through and flag trees that are showing signs of weakness, disease, etc for harvesting. Taking dying trees promptly I think makes a huge difference. Opens up the crown faster. Takes away a tree that is not going to continue to produce, and more quickly frees up that space for healthier trees around it to fill in that void. Keep pumping out the videos! I really enjoy these management strategy videos.

As a Canadian forester and long term forestland owner I enjoy these thoughts. In terms of method I would say I am uneven aged multi species oriented. In the Southern Interior of British Columbia my property is on the joining of the Interior Douglas Fir zone with the Interior Cedar Hemlock Biogeoclimatic zone. I am growing about 5 m3/ha on 7 hectares so almost a truck load per year. This is a better return than cutting hay which is the alternative crop in this neighbourhood. I always have my wood sawed by a local portable mill, rather than sell to the monopoly mill. This saves paying trucking and income tax and the lumber is always useful. I also have about 4-5 years dry seasoned firewood ahead. In terms of mortality, I also see snags as assets which attract insect eating birds and wood seasoned on the stem will dry straighter and more thoroughly than logs sitting horizontally. In Scandinavia it is customary to select building logs on the stem and girdle them to dry them standing on their stump Personally I cut flyways access (and fuel breaks/skid trails) through my stand to enable birds to fly through rather than over or around the stands. As an understory shrubs I usually get hoosum berries (shepherdia) and Oregon grape (mahonia) with herbs such as trillium,ginger, and sarsaparilla. The roots of the trees need a combination of bacteria and fungus to process and make available soil nutrients for the trees benefit so be aware of your mushrooms both pathogenic and beneficial. Never remove the stumps unless you intend to convert to farmland, that is where the fungi live, Most of the current drought and heat conditions are most simply explained by the lack of evapotranspiration rather than the WEF dogma about C02 from passenger cars. (Occam’ s razor) Live in the shade with many living creatures ❤

Given Forestry practices there are not enough quality nesting cavities for Screech Owls. Screech Owls eat rodents which host ticks and attract and feed pit vipers, Bobcats and Coyotes. Consider installing Screech Owl nest boxes on your property. Reduce the ticks on your property with Screech Owl nest boxes. Check to see if your in an area where Northern Saw-Whet Owls nest, your forest might be a candidate for one of these nest boxes. When these Owls are nesting they feed heavily on Deer mice and White-footed Forest mice. Consider doing a Controlled burn in late Winter - Early Spring when ticks and pit vipers are active but Dung beetles are not. Check with your State's Forestry Department on how frequently to do this as it varies based on your location and type of forest. In Illinois, Missouri and Indiana every ten years is recommended. This releases nutrients and eliminates ground cover and reduces fuel for a Drought event when a natural unwelcome destructive fire may occur. Remember to prepare your forest during the Winter by removing fuel like fallen limbs from around the base of trees to prevent damage. Consider walking through your forest in shoes with spikes or riding horses to survey the property. The indentions in the earth can help capture rain water. For those involved in Silvopasture check out Missouri Agroforestry Mark Coggeshall's three part video on the Swamp White Oak. Pigs, Poultry and Sheep enjoy their low tanning acorns in the Autumn and while it doesn't get big enough for veneer it does produce good White Oak timber. A straight tree with a pyramid shape, not too bushy. Deer, turkey and squirrels enjoy these nuts too.

Very thought provoking. Nothing is so simple that it cannot be screwed up!

I really appreciate your explanations. Please keep sharing, don’t stop!❤❤

Very informative video. Thank you!

I really enjoyed watching you talk about your thoughts on forestry. I am form Germany and my family owns a forest and we have been managing it for generations. We have moved away form age class forest towards a more nature based forest were you have a lot of different species of trees in different age classes. There are a lot of benefits such as reducing risk of parasite infections , no costs of planting new trees. Focusing the growth on individual trees and species. In my opinion this will be the future at least here in Germany especially if you take climate change in to the equation.

I think it would be nice if all land owners sold their lumber to small mills or even on site sawmills..I miss all the small mills, I cant even find green lumber anymore to save money..having said that I do know and understand the amount of work it takes to bring a 2x4 dried to market

Glad I found your channel great info and things to consider. I cut firewood with permission on the neighbors 28 acre woodlot mostly cut up fallen trees but do cut some smaller oaks with ruined crowns for mushroom logs. The wood consists of red and white oak, hickory, red maple elms and a few others. Unfortunately the honeysuckle and autumn olive have been taking over on the edges and in the middle of some of the woods. I pull it out when cutting trees but it is more than I can manage. Probably in need of a forestry mulcher and spraying. Going to read your E-book.

Before you rush out and buy land with all young trees, I recommend buying land with some older growth on it too. You will most likely only occupy that land for 50 or less years. The satisfaction of walking by a fully mature beautiful big tree should count for something. That's only attainable if you buy already mature trees mixed in.

This is very interesting, I’d suggest you cut to more video of the forest more to add visual interest

I enjoyed your video but will have to watch it several times to glean the information I was looking for. I've decided that I am going to involve my state forestry department in helping me decide on the management of my forest. I need help in deciding whether to enter my land into the carbon credit program based on wildlife, forest management, and the addition of American Chestnut restoration. Thanks for your content.

The downside is every time you enter the forest you risk damaging your crop trees from harvest activities. Felling, skidding & operating heavy equipment all have the potential to damage your crop trees, resulting in more mortality and lower grade logs. Additionally, the disturbance can exacerbate the spread and growth of invasive species.

Thanks for sharing good to hear your way of managing the forest! Thanks for being clear in what you are optimizing for and how. Curious are you familiar with Dr. Simard’s research? Multi-decade studies on management styles of commercial forestry in BC points to keeping the oldest trees to stabilizes the ecosystem, water table, and they supplement the photosynthesis rates of sapling increasing the growth rates.

How about in a fire prone area like Northern. California? The older trees resist damage in a fire because of thick bark.

Nice video. Good balance using science. Most people just make stuff up or repeat old wives tales when talking forestry management.

Please cover Deadfall - I have WV property with significant deadfall. Not abnormal from what I see in National Forest neighbor (they optimize growth right;) but its about 20-50 trees per acre laying on the ground. Untouched for 50+ years. Is it something to address by removing excess? Grinding and leaving them? or just leaving them and thinning?

I have a traditional hardwood forest, where many of the plantations are stocked with predominantly 40+ year trees, deliberately planted with ash, hornbeam as nurse trees and (I presume - no records remain) the main oak crop. I was told by a community forestry consultant to not thin too quickly, to prevent too rapid exposure to sunlight and potentially to shock the oak tree. Is this a philosophy you share? Very grateful to read your views

Mortality equals firewood, which equals $200 a cord around here.

Loved this video! Would you consider doing a noobs guide on what to look for before buying a property and how to tell if it could be profitable or how profitable? Thank you!

I would like to see variety selection within timber species addressed. Coming from a farming background I have heard that their is a lot of difference between trees. Any plant breeding programs in forestry?

I have 23 acres in CT and would love to make something of the property.

what about fertilizer? some plots out here in the PNW get granular spread on them via helicopters. I wonder what the return is on that.

One thing that can radically change which trees you value most is to consider Honey as a forest product. In mixed hardwoods, its value can equal the increased value of the wood! The stingy hard maple might tank in comparative value while the trash pussy willow with it's early pollen might rank up there with tulip poplar and basswood(linden in the metric system) with their excellent honey(taste and production).

Is there any research on mixing native keystone species into the forest and its growth or productivity or ROI.

I lost hundreds of trees during the April snowstorms in Maine this year 😢 mostly 20 to 30 footers

So harvest old trees before they fall so you leave young and pole trees growing at a high clip Sounds good to me

Are your bio dads Charlie Day and Rob McElhenny?

So basically, commodity cropping for wood.

Zachary, your assuming size equals age. it depends on species, but you don't always get release/growth when you thin. You also get will favor more shade tolerant species, even age management has some issues that can be addressed, but will in the long run alway out produce a thinned stand.

You're better off being the bank they make money no matter what

Always sad to see quality trees that have fallen over just being left to decompose.

I think this fella is confusing a forest with a plantation.

Blah blah blah listen i dont have a beard,,,, but have been producing trees for 40 years the single most importasnt thing to do is early season LIME PERiod if you have thousands of acres to do spread by hellicopter upon snow melt this lowers ph early and begins the uptake of nutrients VOLUME growth of timber u will see an old friend from sweden has a large timber forest and did this with massive results so now you know