How to thicken up woods...

[LETMGROW]

No. Chop them most of the way down.

Check out this link:

http://www.outreachoutdoors.com/phpB...hp?f=13&t=2010

That was a great link. If you click onto it be patient. It does take a couple minutes to load. Alot of pages of good info. Well worth the wait.
Thanks for the reference S 10.
Lynn

[WestKyTeacher]

No offense but PLEASE and I mean PLEASE!!!!!! DO NOT PLANT HONEYSUCKLE!!!! I work in the forestry business and yes this does make great cover for deer and wildlife. But you will have no understory trees what so ever after you plant this. It is one of the most highly invasive species out there. Once you plant this you will hardly never be able to get it out of your woods or your neighbor's woods ever again. I would recommend doing a TSI (Timber Stand Improvement). I would go through and cut all the tree's around your crop tree's allowing about 30ft around that tree's canope. Doing this will allow more light down to the forest floor getting better oak regeneration for a better stand of cover and food for wildlife.

I'm currently doing a TSI and forest enrichment program on my 67 acres of woods and starting to row crop the 25 acres I just purchased. I will say it is a lot of work and will most likely benefit my children more than me (it takes a long time for oaks to mature). I am currently cutting down the smaller less desirable tress (maple, sycamore, gum, etc). In their place I am planting 200-300 samplings per acre, a mixture of white oaks, cherry bark oaks, bur oaks, persimmon, northern red oaks, etc). In 10 yrs we'll cut all the less desirable bigger trees for timber and the samplings will be established and take over, (I'm only doing this in the areas of no mature oaks and only soft wood trees. So I should have some good areas with acorns and the others will be really thick cover as they start growing). I am also starting a decent size orchard with a variety of different pears and apples. In KY, I think it is Federal money so all states should have a program, you can sign up for programs that helps offset some of the costs. However, you still have to break your back planting and cutting all the smaller trees down. That link explains most of the practices I am currently doing to my forest. I even received a nice sign for my Forest Stewardship Program.

[need2hunt]

I'm with the group that says keep honeysuckle OUT! One of the areas I hunt is overrun with honeysuckle and there is ZERO undergrowth. I had to cut paths through it just to get the deer to want to come in to the area. This spring I am planning on cutting and spraying as much of it as I can and starting to try to get rid of it.