clearcutting beech and spraying - my project

[penrod72]

Last weekend I did three smal sample cuts in an area of our woods that has heav beech regenration. There is some overstory there, hard maple, beeech, cherry. These woods are dark on a normal day- the beech understory has choked out any sort of ground cover. I took some small sample plots within this stand, and then cut all the beech prsent. After curring, I sprayed Roundup on the stumps. Two of the plots I cut all beech and sprayed, 1 plot I cut only the beech over 1" diameter but sprayed stumps and the "brush" I didn't cut. Next summer hoping to get some cost share money from the state to go in and actually cut out all the beech in this stand, getting some regen and ground cover.
 
We cut and sprayed some 2 springs ago- it did die, but the stumps ran sap out, unlike last week when you could see them suck the roundup in.
 

[Land_Owner]

Did you leave the fallen "timber" around the edge to funnel the deer to specific openings?  That's a good way to plan your prevailing winds and tree stand locations.  Letting sunlight in is a good start for regeneration of dormant, but present seeds in the ground.

[Bugflipper]

A much cheaper solution is to "ring" the trees. Cut all the way around into the cambium layer and leave it standing. No water to the leaves, no photosynthesis. The tree will die, then you cut down a month or so after the leaves turn brown.

[penrod72]

openings for now are extremely small- not concerned about huinting them. Primary objective when we start for real is to allow for regeneration of species other than beech in the understory, assuming we have some good years of sugar maple seeds, which we usually do.
 
Ringing or girdling is a technique we can use, but these are mostly small trees, and we need to spray the stumps to ensure the death of the root stock- otherwise you end up with beech stump sprouts and an even bigger monoculture of beech, with more small beech brush and even more limited sunlight, with even fewer opportunities for different species to regenrate. We are trying to kill all or a great deal of the beech for the long term, as most of it will die long before it reachers maturity and producing excellent but cyclical beech nuts for wildlife.

[keith44]

I recently had the state forrester for my county out to look over my patch of woods.  What you are trying is exactly what was recommended to me.  Cut the small ones, girdle the larger ones, and use round up or another glyphosphate.