Overgrown Scots Pines

[mjv]

I bought 42 acres 4 years ago.  About 20 acres of it is covered by Scots pines that are currently about 20-30' tall, 6-10" diameter at chest level, and spaced 5-6' apart (two separate areas of about 10 acres each).  It is an old christmas tree planting that was never harvested.  Soil is sandy loam.  I love the cover it currently provides for the wildlife, especially the deer and turkeys.  However, I am afraid that this cover value will start degrading soon??????

What is the future of this planting?  

What are my options?

My goal with the property is mainly for wildlife habitats.  The most important habitat I have now is the cover that these plantings provide for the deer and turkeys.  I would like to transition any harvest of these trees with other covers, most likely a new planting of conifers.  So, if I have 10 years left in the life of these trees, maybe I would want to start a new cover crop in the next year or two so there is something to replace the existing crop when harvested.  But I can't plant more than 2-3 acres outside of the existing stand because of water and house and such.  So, what are the options for taking out some of the existing stand?  Hydro-ax, pulpwood, bulldozer (already did this around the house, just have a huge pile to get rid of, and it is expensive)........  What are the pro's and con's of each???  Mulch, stumps, disease, insects etc...

Help!  

[Ron Scott]

It sounds like the scotch pine has "gone wild" and won't amount to much in any future timber value other than fuel wood (wood chips).

It does provide good escape and thermal cover for wildlife  as you stated. You might want to patch or zone clear-cut and chip the scotch pine leaving irregular edges (not strait line edges) to retain some of this wildlife cover, transition zones, and travelways.

You might plant red pine in the cleared areas with some muxtures of wildlife shrubs spaced throughout for vegetative diversity and food source.

Contact your local Conservation District Forester or one of the professional Consulting Foresters in your area for more specific advice to meet your specific mangement objectives.

[J Beyer]

Red Pine grows quite well in sandy soils, and quite tall to boot.  After some time they will start seeding themselvs like any other tree and provide very good cover for wildlife.

[Minnesota_boy]

Red Pine are very attractive to deer. They love to eat the buds off the branches and especially the top.  You will need to "bud cap" them  each fall until they are too tall for the deer to munch on if you have any number of deer.