Show Notes
In this podcast Tim Russell (Green Fire Forestry & Wildlife Services) and Jon Teater (Whitetail Landscapes) discuss the importance of understory vegetation management. Tim details a recent client visit and understory strategy he employs to help improve deer use. Tim explains the importance of light and how to manage that across the varying levels of forest infrastructure. Both contributors discuss plants deer eat.
Tim and Jon discuss the process of evaluating the understory and the best perspective to allow the correct amount of light to the forest floor to improve cover and food. Tim discusses his method to evaluate the density of trees and the proper technique to ensure that landowners understand how to look past the number of trees per acre. Jon provides some suggestive basal area measurements that may be helpful for significant understory improvement and regeneration. Tim explains the concerns he dealt with on a client visit and how the client is shifting his focus to improving overstory and understory plants.
Tim explains what to do first before cutting any trees. Both contributors discuss plant use and replacement and the benefits to deer or other animals. Tim discusses the impact of legacy effects from deer and how that can alter the resulting forest. Jon discusses strategy to increase understory value for deer. Tim explains a concept called timber pimping and how not to be taken advantage by someone that may want to devalue your timber.
