Random Tree Cutting

I’ve been working on a lot of small management jobs that have been on my list for some time now.  Several of these have to do with trees that are threatening to fall on or to shade out desirable species.  When a tree begins to lean over, the area covered by its shadow increases.  Lateral branches turn upwards and eventually form what amounts to a line of sapling trees growing along the trunk of the leaner.  New growth adds weight that will eventually make the tree fall.  The Wild Black Cherry tree above is not only causing a thinning of grass in the shade zone.  It is overtopping a grove of Redbud and Carolina Buckthorn that will suffer some severe damage if landed upon by the falling tree.

Removing the tree eliminates both the shade hazard and the threat of physical damage to surrounding vegetation.  Unlike most upright trees, leaning trees offer a limited direction toward which they will fall.  Fortunately, a good cut and a little bit of shoving allowed me to drop this tree without damaging any of the shrubs I was trying to protect.

Actually bringing the tree to the ground is usually the least time consuming part of the process.  It’s taking the tree apart and moving it to a brush pile that takes up most of my time.  When I don’t have time to finish the job before days end, as was the case here, I leave the branches in a conspicuous place where I won’t fail to clear them up later.  In this case I left them blocking one of the main trails leading from my house.  There’s no way I can forget about them being here.

Here is another leaning tree, also a Wild Black Cherry.  This species accounts for 90 percent of the leaning trees I encounter.  In this case, the tree is threatening a cluster of oak saplings seen on the right side of the photo.

I didn’t have time to take the whole tree down before it got dark, but I did remove the lateral branches that produced the majority of shade.  If I don’t happen to make it back to this site this winter, the oaks will still be able to receive needed sunlight next growing season.

Some trees are removed just to eliminate the shade they produce.  This Tuliptree was shading the same cluster of oaks being threatened by the leaning cherry.

The oaks in question can be recognized by the dead leaves that they hold into winter.  These persistent leaves make it fairly easy to spot oaks in a grown up field.

With the shade producers removed, the oaks will respond by rapidly increasing their size.  Removed trees were intentionally cut so as to leave a tall stump.  The stumps will be shortened this spring, and herbicide will be applied to the fresh cut.

Removal of this Tuliptree has been on my to do list for several years, but there always seemed to be more urgent activities that kept me from the task.  Tuliptrees are fast qrowing and have the ability to shade out a large area of grass, so it’s best not to let them go for very long.  Notice just to the right of the Tuliptree is a Wild Black Cherry leaning out from the old fence row.  The original tree top has died and a side branch has grown up to produce a nice sized tree.  Eventually, the leaning trunk will not be able to sustain the weight of the new top and the tree will fall.  When it falls, it will most likely hit the Flowering Dogwoods in the center foreground of the photo.  I’ll probably have to take the cherry down before it falls on its own.

I dropped the Tuliptree right on the trail.  There’s no way I could possibly forget to clear it away.

There are some pretty widely spaced growth rings here.  Ten years ago I could have cut this tree with my loppers and carried the whole thing over to the brush pile.  I now aggressively attack the small trees invading the grassland areas, so I won’t have trees of this size to deal with later.

One disassembled tree ready to be carried off.

The trail is once again open for business.

Three Tuliptrees and two cherries were added to this already existing brush pile.  The logs were positioned for maximum use by fence lizards and skinks.  Whether or not I remove more trees this month will depend on the weather.  I’ve already taken care of the worst offenders, but it would be nice to get just a few more.

Status of Girdled Trees Project

Back in May 2015 I girdled and applied herbicide to the large trees in this area in an attempt to create a grassland corridor between two areas of healthy prairie.  I thought it would be a few years before any of the killed trees began to fall.  Things are progressing much more quickly than I imagined.

In only a year and a half, about a third of the girdled trees have already fallen.  With one exception, all of the fallen trees have been Tuliptrees. 

Some of the trees dropped into the neighboring prairie.  Since this area is still being treated to eliminate invasive shrubs, I’ll remove the fallen trees to make it easier to find and destroy any invading sprouts.

The trees broke just above the girdle ring.  The girdling was done high enough on the trunk that a tall stump remains.  It’s best to leave the stump tall enough to be visible in the grass.  This way you are less likely to fall over or run your mower up onto the stump.

It looks as though the dead trees hosted quite a few wood boring insects.  I was surprised to see the extent to which the wood had been penetrated.

Woodpeckers appear to be taking advantage of the insect laden tree trunks.  I thought some of the trees were large enough to serve as woodpecker nesting sites, but I don’t think they are going to be standing long enough to serve that purpose.  I’m expecting this tree to fall soon.

In June 2016, about a year after being girdled, the Tuliptrees were still producing leaves on a few branches.  I was having some doubts that I had successfully killed the trees.

The trunks themselves gave some positive evidence that I was getting the desired results.  Impressive fungus growths suggested that decomposition was occurring beneath the bark.

A variety of fungus species were present.

I was impressed by the number of fungus species that were able to so quickly take advantage of the recently killed trees.

This area will soon be dominated by tall grass, but it won’t be without a few trees.  I have left several young Blackjack Oaks, Quercus marilandica, to grow among the grass.  Blackjack Oaks have a special relationship with several prairie invertebrates, and are well worth saving.  There won’t be enough trees left to hinder the growth of the prairie grasses, but there will be enough to enhance the quality of this small area.

You can read about the original girdling project by clicking HERE.  

Bent Tree

It would be interesting to do an inventory of trees at Blue Jay Barrens to find the ratio of straight trees to crooked trees. I bet the straight trees would be in the minority. I enjoy speculating on the possible causes of some of the more interesting tree nonconformities. Now that I’ve managed to stick around for so long, I’ve actually witnessed many of these life altering events.

This bent Tuliptree is one that I knew when it was young and straight. A falling cedar caught the upper half of the Tuliptree and rode it to the ground. This caused a lateral bud to sprout and become the new top of the tree.

This is all that’s left of the previous tree trunk. The former top died within a year of the tree being pushed over, but it took many years for the dead portion to fall away. It’s difficult for the tree to grow over these places when the dead stub is in the way. It’ll be a long time before the wound completely closes.

Above the bend is a really nice shaped tree. It’s easy to forget that all of this growth came from a bud that would have probably remained dormant if the tree had not been pushed over. Tree growth is regulated by chemicals produced by the lead growth point located highest on the tree. This leader produces the upward growth that creates a trunk. The inhibiting chemicals keep other growth restricted to less vigorous lateral branching. When the tree was pushed over, the bud suddenly became the lead growth point for the tree.

I expect this tree to fall over one of these years. Each year’s growth adds more weight to the end of the original trunk. It won’t be a surprise when I go out and find the roots pulled from the earth and the tree on the ground. Of course, the most likely direction for the tree to fall is right across one of my walking trails.

Fresh Lightning Strike

Evidence of storm damage fills the woods. It would surely have been exciting to witness the lightning strike that left its mark on this Tuliptree.

At 50 feet from the tree, the shards of tree bark are easy to find. There were some pieces as far as 125 feet from the tree and they probably would have gone farther had there not been such a clutter of understory branches in the way.

I’ve read that the passage of the lightning through the tree causes the water and sap in the tree to make a rapid transition from liquid to gas. The sudden formation of gas produces pressure that explodes the bark from the tree. The result is a scar that runs from top of tree to the ground.

In the cartoons, a lightning strike always leaves things charred and smoking. Nothing like that is evident on the tree. If I had taken hold of the bark and ripped a section free, it would have made a wound much like this. This wound can heal, but it can also let in a host of insect and disease pests.

The visible damage ends at ground level. This doesn’t mean that there’s no damage below ground. Intense heat often causes cell damage in the shallow roots. This produces additional stress on the tree and depending on the nature of the damage, can leave the tree with a less stable foundation.

In the tree world there are hazards associated with rising above the others. Tuliptrees grow rapidly and produce a tall, straight, moisture laden trunk that is very attractive to lightning. Tuliptrees make up about two-thirds of the obviously lightning struck trees at Blue Jay Barrens.

Leaves are still green and healthy, despite being the apparent hosts to a hoard of leaf eating insects. If the tree was wounded beyond repair, it may take a couple of years before that fact becomes obvious. A healthy forest is not hurt by a few storm damaged trees. The storms just sprinkle the spice of diversity over the woodland landscape and increase the numbers of organisms that can live there.

Lightning Tree

There are hundreds of trees at Blue Jay Barrens that display enough unique characteristics to be individually recognized anywhere. In a forest without a stressful past, the trees would probably have more uniformity. I search these odd trees for clues to their history that would help explain why there are as they are today.

The top of this Tuliptree was lost so long ago that its remnants have long since vanished into the forest floor. Given the time involved, you would think that growth from the lateral branches would be much more extensive. A healthy tree could have put on that much growth in just a few years.

A look at the base shows the tree to be in less than perfect health. Loose bark hangs all around the tree and it’s hard to find any living material at all. The living top is evidence that there is still a functioning cambium layer somewhere on this trunk, but it must be a minimal amount that can only support a greatly reduced top.

Here’s the signature curve displayed by so many of Blue Jay Barrens’ large trees. Following the curve down the trunk is a scar from an old lightning strike. While most of the bark is partially detached from the trunk, the area along the scar appears to be alive and well. This may well be the lifeline to the tree top.

It’s hard to predict how lightning will impact a tree. Exterior moisture on the bark, extent of sap flow through the cambium, and wetness of the soil can all influence whether the electrical surge passes through or along the exterior surface of the tree. Some of this bark appears healthy and some is just draped over the trunk. Sap may have to follow a maze to reach the top of the tree.

On another side is some more serious lightning damage. Under certain conditions, a lightning strike will superheat the moisture within the tree, causing it to turn to steam. The pressure resulting from this sudden transformation from liquid to gas can cause the bark to explode from the tree. This is the type of strike that causes the greatest visible damage to a tree.

I witnessed a strike like this when I was in High School. I’d been out fishing and was hurrying across a field, trying to get home before a storm arrived, when lightning struck a large fence row tree about 70 yards from me. When the lightning hit the tree, I hit the ground. Pieces of bark made it out to where I was and I felt a heat flash on my face and arms. I just stayed there and let the storm roll on over me. I had plenty of time to think while I was laying there and what I thought was that if I had to ride out a storm in the open, I should have just stayed at the lake where I could still be fishing. Since then I’ve become much more adept at judging the speed of approaching storms and haven’t found myself accidentally out in a storm since then.

Prairie Trail

I like to get around in the fall to check the condition of the trails and get an idea of how much maintenance work they will need during the winter. This portion of the trail was only mowed once this year and that was a few weeks ago. Removal of fallen trees is the most labor intensive of the trail maintenance activities. Since I obviously made it through here with DR Brush, there shouldn’t be any major obstacles. I guess I was really just out for a walk rather than seriously looking for maintenance work.

The drought continues. This area typically has a thick layer of bright green moss. Most of the moss will rehydrate when the rains return.

This particular trail goes through the middle of one of the prairie openings. I only mow the prairie trails after the flowers and grasses have gone to seed, so the trail is not as clearly defined here. There’s usually enough deer traffic to at least keep the trail visible.

There seems to be an uphill walk involved with every opening you visit.

The shady area at the base of big cedars seems to act as a nursery for many types of plants. A selection of oaks has developed here. In order to survive, the oaks will have to grow towards the sunlight. Most oaks in this situation will snake their way up through the central open area in the cedar canopy and periodically send out lateral branches into the light.

Sometimes the tall grasses grow faster than the deer can trample them down and the trail becomes temporarily hidden.

Many of the gullies that were formed in the days of active farming have completely healed. As soil conditions improve, plant growth becomes more vigorous in the old gullies.

The gully edges have almost disappeared. Soil from the bare area slowly shifts down and becomes lodged in the grass cover. The grass takes advantage of this added material by growing a little farther up the slope. As the soil moves from below the sod at the top of the cut, the entire sod mat slowly drops to make contact with the remaining soil. Eventually the grass from bottom and top will meet and there will be a continuous vegetative cover.

In most places the deer don’t have any trouble keeping the trail open. This is a south facing slope with very shallow soil, so the vegetation doesn’t spread out very quickly.

Occasionally a Tuliptree will try to become established on these open slopes. This specimen displays the enlarged base of a tree that has died back several times. I sometimes wonder if the tree roots have found a source of subsurface water that is sufficient to give them a chance to become established on these sites.

These rogue Tuliptrees can sometimes reach a height of 20 or 30 feet before outgrowing their available water supply and dying. Branch dieback is common and leaf loss always occurs earlier than on trees in more favorable growing conditions. The pattern of invasion and growth in these Tuliptrees is an occurrence that may have had a part in naturally maintaining openings in which prairie plants could persist. It’s just another thing that I watch as I try to understand how prairie openings might have been naturally maintained.

At the other side of the opening we reconnect with the network of mowed trails. I never did find much need for trail maintenance. I guess I was just out having a good time.