Thinning in Hill, N.H.

[Parker]

I got started thinning in Hill today, I am going to try to go thru most of it with my brush saw,,save all the small rockies,,lots of 3-8 inch stuff under the canopy,,First time I have been up there with the leaves all the way out,,,the tops look a little thin and there are a few dead rockies (8-14") here and there,,,wonder how that will affect sap production,,the smaller the top the less sap???some of the 8-16" trees look like they are in pretty steep decline....I wonder what is causing it???going to do some research on it this summer,,get some opions I think...funny how that was such high sugar when tested with the refractometer........

[forester1]

Could be one of a lot of things stressing the trees. Maybe had a drought year or two after several years of ample rain. Maybe it was grazed. Maybe repeated insect attacks. Maybe it was harvested when the soils were wet and the soil got compacted by heavy machinery, which could smother fine roots. Air pollution. Could be a fungal disease like sapstreak. If the soil is thin over bedrock all these effects would be amplified.

[Maple Hill Sugarhouse]

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[Maple Hill Sugarhouse]

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[Parker]

Does anyone out there know where I could send some leaves from the rock maples and get them analized?? I think I am going to talk with the extension forester and see about soil samples as well,,,am pretty curious to see just what is going on up there,,,and if the problem is one I can help correct,,,,,,,,,,Kevin,,if you want to see a really curley tree Ill bring you over to where I was shearing yesterday <about a mile from the Hill bush>The tree is 10 inches thru,,and seldom have I seen such heavy curl,,I knocked all the bark off so the cable loggers would know wich tree I was talking about,,,

[Maple Hill Sugarhouse]

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