General overall health of your woods

[argohauler]

From a thread I responded to on a hunting forum I frequent.

I was cutting dead wood for next years syrup season in our bush and the neighbours. I've got next winters house wood and then some scoped out. I found 10 dead beech, 2 ash, 1 hard maple I couldn't find live wood to tap this year, 2 swamp white oak, 1 white oak, 2 red oak, and 1 hophornbeam. I'll likely turn most of the tops into sapwood for the 2012 season. All these are big trees, especially the swamp oaks.

But there's good reason for their deaths. Beech bark disease, caused by an aphid, ash yellows, a form of anthracnose (the emerald ash borer hasn't found us, but it's on either side of us), the maples I figure are dying because of acid rain from Nanticoke and the States, and the gypsy moths for the oaks.

How are your woods. Really interested in how these diseases are affecting you.

[TRAILGUY]

Mostly ash and beach and a few other type from past ice and Gypsy moths

[BryanEx]

How are your woods. Really interested in how these diseases are affecting you.

Generally speaking my wood lot is in healthy shape except for Elm. I'm losing more and more Elm every year to Dutch Elm disease and it's to the point that it's almost exclusively what I cut for firewood. Silver and red maples have had a black growth on the leaves late in the season for the past two years but I've seen no signs of stress on the trees because of it. Sugars are in great shape except for a few way past their life expectancy. Vines are always my biggest problem but regular patrols with a pair of loppers makes quick work of them.

[Russell Lampron]

My maples are in good shape. Some of the reds are huge for reds with nice crowns. I do have some standing dead pines that died from sun scald after I had some logging done 6 years ago. The others hard woods are doing well too even the ones with skidder rash.

[wanting to get into it]

Ash trees are going. Trying to get them down now and to the mill. Most of those are rotting at the roots. Cherry trees seem to be going as well. Maples are ok, except for the wind damage to them. Oaks are strong and look real good. Had some high winds of 60mph for a couple of days a couple weeks ago. Went back in the woods and found four of those good for nothing locust trees either leaning or blown over.:)

[3rdgen.maple]

Not sure what it is but my oaks are dropping like moths in steam. I just cut down 12 oaks in one section of woods that were full of pinholes. Looks like somebody shot them with birdshot. Some kinda of bug im sure. They were all nice trees and were lumber quality but not anymore. All in the same patch.

[Thompson's Tree Farm]

Not sure what it is but my oaks are dropping like moths in steam. I just cut down 12 oaks in one section of woods that were full of pinholes. Looks like somebody shot them with birdshot. Some kinda of bug im sure. They were all nice trees and were lumber quality but not anymore. All in the same patch.

3rdgen,
Don't cut that oak all up for firewood yet, I sold 300 feet of it last spring for flooring. Guy said it had great "character". :)

[3rdgen.maple]

Too late. LOL I have to wonder if the price it would cost me to buy that amount of firewood versus how much I would get for the logs if it isn't a wash anyways. Oh well too late to worry about it now.