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Healthy Beech/ Shelterwood?

Started by Deadwood, June 11, 2006, 09:35:52 PM

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Deadwood

I do not know why I have never of thought of asking the experts about this before, but here goes in any case. I have a section of my woodlot, perhaps 5 acres in size and located on a well drained hillside. It is filled with Beech...short, stubby bark-disese infested Beech that really is only good for firewood.

In the center of this Beech Ridge however, is one tall, large diameter (2 feet) beech that is perfectly healthy from every indication of the tree.

I have left it to grow hoping that it might provide the woodlot with healthy beech saplins as I enjoy working with that wood in lumber form. So far my method has not seemed to work. My question is this:

Would using the Shelterwood method of harvesting clear out the diese-ridden beech and promote an environment for healthy beech, or is the ridge destined for years of beech firewood?

Sorry for not having a picture of this are. If needed, I could probably get one later this week.

SwampDonkey

You would probably require several disease free, and possibly resistant trees to the disease in order to have a few (and far between) next generation of disease free beech. It is unlikely that the resistant trees are pure (totally resistant) and the seed produced from even controlled pollination will have limited success. It would take several generations to breed the trees pure and we just don't live long enough to see the fruits of our labour. And to begin with, we'de have to find the proper genes that have mutated for disease resistance or that become a risk to contracting the disease. In areas of NW New Brunswick, like up around Edmundston and St Jacques the scale has not yet ventured to carry the disease because of the colder climate. They are about 2-3 weeks behind in the start of the growing season compared to my area. It has been the only saving grace for beech in that region. Most people here that cut wood don't think of leaving disease resistant beech. When cutting, beech is one of the first hardwood to come in contact with the chainsaw because folks have always been tought to cut beech for firewood. Even a nice healthy one is more liable to become firewood than a half dead one standing beside it.
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

Raphael

Is this the Beech scale?
Something's got hold of one of our smaller beeches and this is showing up on a few of the big ones.


Here's the bad tree:


... he was middle aged,
and the truth hit him like a man with no parachute.
--Godley & Creme

Stihl 066, MS 362 C-M & 24+ feet of Logosol M7 mill

WDH

Is there anything else on the ridge besides beech?  Beech is so shade tolerant that it sorta hangs on in the understory forever, then becomes dominant eons later as everything else matures and senesces.  You might be better to get rid of all the junk beech (inject it maybe?) and let some other stuff grow, otherwise there may be decades of junk beech around.
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

SwampDonkey

Hard for me to tell, but I don't see any late symptoms on your trees. The tree to the far left and the one to the far right looks like that could be scale with the white powder. Otherwise, I see a bunch or harvest damages trunks.

Do you see a white powdery substance on the bark? The insects are creating that as excrement on their body surface. This time of year they may be dormant and encased in a oyster shell-like cocoon, but tiny. The insect doesn't have legs.
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

Raphael

I'll have to take a closer look at those trees.  I don't think that's white on their base rather a pale blue lichen.  For the most part these trees look very healthy.
... he was middle aged,
and the truth hit him like a man with no parachute.
--Godley & Creme

Stihl 066, MS 362 C-M & 24+ feet of Logosol M7 mill

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