I have been thinking about making some living brush piles by partially cutting down and then pushing over some junk trees, leaving enough trunk intact to keep the tree alive. Hopefully this will open the canopy some for understory growth and also provide cover and browse.
I was walking my property the other day and was suprised how much deer had been feeding on woody browse considering this is farm country, crops everywhere, and it has been a very mild winter.
Most of the trees I noticed that have been browsed were oaks, which I dont want to cut down. My junk trees mostly consist of Elms and Osage orange, as well as a few others I dont know the names of. What is a good browse species to cut? And, do I need to wait for the trees to leaf out, or will they still survive if I cut them now when the woods are more pleasant to be in?
Thanks......Timber