I'm trying to regenerate Oak but seem to have too many black cherry coming up. I could be wrong but I don't notice the deer browsing black cherry. My concern is they will shade out the oaks for a while. Some of the black cherries seem to be growing in a clump. Do any of you go in and buzz off the black cherry with a saw?

Black cherry is low on the deer browse preference scale. Cherry also produces seed that gets spread everywhere by birds. You may have to clear them out if you want your oaks to grow. In my area if you don't cage or tube oak the deer will browse them all to the ground. Seems they prefer white oak seedlings the best, although I do see quite a bit of chinkapin oak regen in my woodlots - but white oak is nearly nonexistant even though I have some big seed producing trees.

I have a theory that Cherry was much more common than it currently is. I think the old timers cut them out because they were toxic to cattle and basically everything used to be grazed. I've noticed cherries popping up all over now and starting to really take alot of space in the woods. Birds love them.

Tent caterpillars love them too

Cherry leaves, especially after wilting, are mildly toxic to most herbivores.

Keith

Black Cherry needs a lot of sun to grow, as your woods age they will die back unless above the other trees. You might want to wait and see what all comes in. How tall are the oaks and Black cherries now? We cut our woods and I have cleaned out the invasive and thinned the black berries but want to see what species are coming in. I did plant white oak seedlings in spots I wanted them. Make sure to cage/fence in the trees you want

The trees really vary in height because we've had clear cuts done at different times.

Oak trees are shade tolerant, while cherry trees are not as shade tolerant. Cherry trees will decline as a woodlot matures. Cutting all of the cherry trees down all at once now may create too much sunlight which will encourage other undesirable trees (and more cherry trees) to sprout and flourish, leading to increased competition to young oak trees. Some reduction of cherry trees will help your new oak trees. Just don't get carried away with opening up the canopy too much.

shade tolerance can (and DOES!) change with age in some species. most eastern oaks are more shade tolerant at first, as the seedlings put their growth effort into root structure first. Later, they need more sunlight to thrive.

Black cherry is pretty shade INtolerant for their entire lives...they put their growth effort into height, especially early on (as seedlings).

you'll need to protect your oak seedlings from deer browsing, as soon as they poke their terminal buds above the low, local vegetation. (ferns?)

then, consider giving them more sunlight by daylighting around them.

there are a LOT of variables, and it's difficult (without seeing the site in person) to make good recommendations.

have you called your local forestry office for a site visit?

Depending on numbers and market you may want to keep the best of the cherry as you thin. Given the chance cherry makes nice logs that can bring a good price in the right markets. But its not an everywhere market and you need at least a full load to make it worth segregating out when you cut other stuff.

But that a good bit of sleuthing now for a maybe down the road

That's kind of what I was thinking too

I cut em up and burn them. They are everywhere here. Clumped all up with 2-3 branches dead or dying. Let me walk out here and take a couple pics. Be right back.

Do ya have any Beech in the mix AJE?

Is this what you are talking about?

I have never seen a beech tree around here to my knowledge

No Hobbie, doesn't look like that. Here are some pics I found on the net.





Here's a pic of the nuts. When you find a tree that's producing, you'll find game.

Very smooth bark,

What I can't figure out is if they commonly grow in clumps, because a lot of times it seems to be more than one chute.

Yes, I had the Forester at my property this week. He suggested cut stump Garlon treatment on some of the black cherry trees.

Another thing that occurred to me is last night I bought black cherries at the grocery store for my fruit smoothies. I wonder if wild black cherries are edible