Managing Pines for Profit and Wildlife - Virginia Department of ...

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Release From CompetitionAnother major decision landowners must make is how pinesshould be released from hardwood competition. Today’s trend istoward chemical release only 1 to 2 years after planting. If youwant to release relatively soon after planting, use a legume-friendlychemical such as Arsenal®. Though Arsenal® will knock outmost hardwood competition and some grass competition, it willnot harm many legumes. If you desire to use a broader spectrumchemical application, such as an Arsenal® and Accord® mixture,understand the Accord® will take out more of the legume component.If you use this mixture, it would be best for wildlife towait 4 to 5 years post-planting before releasing. You will be takingout the legume vegetation component, but it will be at a timewhen shading would begin to accomplish this naturally. Onemanagement note: due to the abundance of blackberry growthoften found when using Arsenal® alone, it may be better to delayspraying and use the Arsenal® and Accord® mixture.For some, huntability of a cut-over may be a concern. Thickblackberry growth impedes hunter access and can be a painful experiencefor hunting dogs. Using Escort® in a chemical treatmentmixture will further reduce blackberry growth. However, totalelimination of blackberry should not be a goal. Having a few blackberry“tangles” provides great rabbit and quail escape cover.While the use of herbicides to control hardwood brush hasbeen with us about as long as pine plantations themselves, newtrends in herbicide use have developed over recent years. Chemicalsare now being used to kill grasses, weeds and legumes inpine plantations. This may help the seedlings grow, but it eliminatesvirtually all wildlife habitat value. Any attempt at totalcompetition control will adversely affect wildlife. With no grass,no lespedeza, no blackberries and few weeds, these sites producefew insects, little fall and winter food and poor cover. Such managementmay make sense to corporate landowners or privatelandowners with economics as the top priority, but landownerswho place importance on wildlife should avoid total vegetationcontrol.(Photo Stan Warner, DOF)Eight
VOLUME(thousands of board feet)▲Competing woody growth, mainlyfast-growing hardwoods like sweetgum andred maple, reduces economic returns.Many landowners carry out an herbicide“release” treatment. This may removemany valuable wildlife food and coverplants. To minimize this impact, herbiciderelease treatments should be madewithin two years of the planting or justprior to crown closure.(Photo DOF)654UnthinnedThinned32107 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18TREE DIAMETER (inches)Comparison of Volume Per Acre ofa Thinned and Unthinned LoblollyPine Stand at Age 45 — Loblollypines that remain unthinned becomestunted. As a result, an unthinnedstand declines in productivity andeconomic worth. Thinning a pinestand dramatically increases thegrowth rate of the remaining pines— increasing both the diameterand volume of timber in a stand atmaturity.Total Vegetation Control is sometimes used in pineforestry. It maximizes growth by removing mostcompetition. Careful planning and application of thesepractices is vital to prevent soil erosion and minimizeharmful effects on wildlife. Gullying and a lack of wildlifefood and cover may result otherwise.(Photo Steve Capel)▲Nine
Page 1 and 2: Wildlife Information Publication No
Page 3 and 4: MANAGING PINES FORPROFIT AND WILDLI
Page 5 and 6: % COVERAGE100806040OverstoryGround2
Page 7 and 8: # Birds & Bird SpeciesInsect Biomas
Page 9: Overstocked stands can beprecommerc
Page 13 and 14: The Effect of ThinningBACKGROUND -
Page 15 and 16: (Photo Steve Capel)(Photo Dwight Dy
Page 17 and 18: (Photo Jim Mehring)Best Management
Page 19 and 20: COST-SHARE PROGRAMS FOR MANAGING FO

Managing Pines for Profit and Wildlife - Virginia Department of ...

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?