Free Woodlot Management Workshop

Event Details

Free Woodlot Management Workshop

Time: September 12, 2015 from 9:30am to 12pm
Location: Angus Glen Farms
Street: 3050 Station Road
City/Town: Watkins Glen, NY
Event Type: workshop
Organized By: Cornell Cooperative Extension and the Southern Finger Lakes Chapter of the NY Forest Owners Association
Latest Activity: Sep 3, 2015

Export to Outlook or iCal (.ics)

Event Description

Please join us for this free event to learn about making a family forest better for the next generation!  The walk will highlight: recent logging to promote tree health and regeneration; invasive plant control; integrated timber and livestock production (silvopasturing); wildlife habitat enhancements; and strategies for dealing with forest pests.  Foresters and loggers will be present to share their insights, as well as Cornel Master Forest Owner Volunteers who can be consulted individually for advice.  The woods walk will take place rain or shine, and require about one mile of hiking.  This event is sponsored by Cornell University’s Master Forest Owner Program (www.cornellmfo.info); Cornell Cooperative Extension (http://cceschuyler.org); and the NY Forest Owner’s Association (www.nyfoa.org).  No RSVP is necessary.  For additional information please contact Brett Chedzoy by phone (607-535-7161) or email: bjc226@cornell.edu

Comment Wall

Comment by Ricardo Zachrisson C. on August 21, 2015 at 12:16pm

Is it advisable and recomended to change natural pastures on our silvopastururing project for higher protein pastures as we thin out the forest and more sun light permits it ?

 

Comment by Brett Chedzoy on August 24, 2015 at 10:41am

Ricardo,

If I understand your question correctly, you're wondering if it would make sense to "improve" the stuff growing in your silvopasture areas through seeding and other methods? 

Even if the plants growing under a silvopasture canopy aren't the ideal mix of grasses and forbs, the "weeds" and brushy stuff growing there is often quite nutritious and can make good food for your animals if grazed at the right time in the right manner.  Increasing livestock density is often necessary to incentivize animals to eat plants that they would otherwise pass over.  The other benefit of increased density is to get the animals to trample and smash more of the stuff they don't want to eat.  "Ultra high density livestock grazing" - or "mob grazing" - is being increasingly used by graziers across the country and the world because it increases both animal and pasture performance when done well.  The tradeoff is that it takes more labor and fencing inputs.  I'm increasingly convinced that very high grazing densities will be critical ingredient in the short-term development of most silvopastures being developed from thinned wooded areas.  In the absence of intensive, dense grazing, the disturbed area will either be lost to brush and noxious weeds - or alternative treatments will be necessary like mowing and spraying.

Comment by Ricardo Zachrisson C. on August 24, 2015 at 3:13pm

Brett,

Yes, you are correct. I think that seeding with Mombasa pasture instead of the stuff naturally growing under the canopy might help me increase density and reduce management costs in handling noxious brush or weeds and will also help me reduce mowing or spraying.

I am working on a trail en error system, not knowing if the weeds and brushy stuff that grows under the canopy will hold more animals/area than the ones I already have (1 animal/acre). Your explanation is interesting so I will test an area by increasing density 25-50% which in return I hope will help in getting better mixed pastures. I don`t use spraying and mechanical mowing is possible only during the dry February-April season.

Thanks for you information will test with a 50 head lot and see how the pasture-animals react. Thanks. 

Comment by Brett Chedzoy on September 1, 2015 at 11:33am

We're currently seeding some winter wheat into recently logged areas where there was a heavy multiflora rose understory that was crushed up pretty well.  I plan to feed a lot of round bales on top of the rose this winter if the ground freezes enough, but am hoping that the wheat will provide enough food late next spring to incentivize the cows to trample the roses some more.  I'll post pictures and comments here as things progress.

Comment by Ricardo Zachrisson C. on September 3, 2015 at 12:11pm

Will send you some pictures to your e-mail. Don´t know how to send them here. Selected a 2 bull and 46 cos group to test the increase animals/area in the canopy. Will let you know results around October 24th. 

Our working conditions (climate) are very different. Looking forward to receiving your pictures and progress comments.

 

Comment by Brett Chedzoy on September 3, 2015 at 5:00pm

About

Forum

Biochar by-products from silvopasture thinnings

Started by Brett Chedzoy. Last reply by Brett Chedzoy on Monday. 6 Replies

In 2020, a local grazier friend did an intensive thinning on 70 acres of mature woods to create silvopasture.  Learning from other's past mistakes (including mine) of leaving too much logging debris…Continue

Are There Many Viable Careers in Agroforestry?

Started by Scott O'Bar. Last reply by Scott O'Bar Jun 3. 1 Reply

Most of my opinions about getting a job based on agroforestry / regenerative agriculture stem from the time I was fresh out of college a little over one decade ago.At that time I was considering…Continue

Pasture-in-the-woods forestry consulting in PA

Started by Robbie Coville May 24. 0 Replies

Hello folks. Are there any consultants here who advise and plan forestry thinning for silvopasture in PA? Or can you point me in the direction of anyone who provides those services in PA? Thank you!Continue

Need input whether I should chip tree limbs vs burning

Started by Mark E. Kunnemann. Last reply by Mark E. Kunnemann May 15. 6 Replies

I live in south central Texas on 21 very wooded acres. I have a plan to thin the trees to open up the canopy for allowing grasses to grow. I have 31 large piles of brush which I had planned to burn,…Continue

Members

© 2023   Created by Peter Smallidge.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service