What to plant after removing a cedar?

SetterNut

SetterNut

New member
Over the next couple years I will be removing a fair number of hedge trees that have cedars growing under them, from my pasture.

So there will be a good number of bare dirt patches spread out all over the pasture.
What I would like to do is plant something in the bare dirt that would help my quail infestation.

Was thinking that I could just rake up the dirt a little and plant a forb mixture, milo, clover, .... or anything else that would grow in void left by the cedars.

Any suggestions?

P1000117.jpg


Feb14_248.jpg
 
Last edited:
Maybe a dumb question, but why not just cut it and leave it lay? Seems like it would provide your quail with a lot of protection, the hedge anyway...

I don't know what you might have to do to the soil, but if I planted something else, it would be shrubs from Kansas Forest Service. Affordable, easy to plant, and good quail habitat...:thumbsup:
 
SetterNut said:
I plan to move the trees into some rows / long piles. I don't want them all over the place.
Click to expand...
Be careful with the dead cedar trees, once they dry out the spiney limbs are like punji stakes. Have a friend who lost a dog that empaled itself jumping over a pile of them.

cr
 
Why not some sand plum.


Everything likes it, deer, quail, pheasant, other birds, good habitat/cover, tasty fruit you can go out and eat and good food for the animals.

Probably cheap as well if you purchase them through Kstate. ( I think they have some sort of program where you can purchase trees/shrubs, I remember my late grandparents did this on a couple occasions, most recently 1998 or so, would assume this program is still around -- maybe you go through the extension office, cant remember).
 
When I cut them here, I usually get a nice group of forbs coming up in the void. I'm sure that the needles would inhibit some plants from growing there. Mine usually have foxtail, wooley croton, and ragweed invade the spaces.
 
Coveyrise64 said:
Be careful with the dead cedar trees, once they dry out the spiney limbs are like punji stakes. Have a friend who lost a dog that empaled itself jumping over a pile of them.

cr
Click to expand...


You are right. Mine are going to be lined up in a couple of brush piles.
 
I have a fair amount of plum thick on the place in the fence rows.

Most likely some of it can be left to what ever comes up, but some additional low woody cover out in the middle of the pasture would good as well.

I might also rake in some milo, sunflower or millet into some of them.
 
Low woody could be sandplum, elderberry, chokecherry, golden currant, snowberry, or buckbrush. You could also add fragrant sumac as an option. You might have some problems with the acidic needles with the commercial seed. Might not.
 
I have read somewhere that Blueberries will do rather well:thumbsup:
 
Just would like to know why you want to remove them? The picture of the dogs on point says to me that the quail must like them. I would think they would provide good shade on hot days and good winter cover when it snows. Also good cover from hawks. They look spaced out about right to hunt and yet keep the quail close to heavy cover while out feeding. Just my thoughts.
 
Woody cover is imperative for the survival of game birds, especially young broods.
You have weather extremes, Wind Storms, Downpours, Hail Storms, Heavy Snow. ETC. That woody cover appears to be good shelter for birds, anytime of the year. :thumbsup:
 
mnmthunting said:
Woody cover is imperative for the survival of game birds, especially young broods.
You have weather extremes, Wind Storms, Downpours, Hail Storms, Heavy Snow. ETC. That woody cover appears to be good shelter for birds, anytime of the year. :thumbsup:
Click to expand...


Also makes good perches for owls and hawks. (the taller stuff)
 
Evergreens draw infrared heat from the sun and form a warm micro climate in winter. Also provide shade from heat in the summer. They are also a good snow and wind break. A very beneficial winter and early spring cover especially if they also produce some type of edible berry.
With all that grass something with some of these properties would probably be a good idea.
 
Not all the trees are coming out. But the ones that are out in the middle of the pasture are coming out. This is being advised by the local PF/QF biologist. It provides perches for hawks and also homes for raccoons, possums and other unwanted egg eaters.

We have a lot of plum thicket and other woody cover around all the fields and fences. I will not be short of woody cover. I will likely leave some small cedars in the fence rows, but the bigger ones will be cut down and left in the fence row. These will provide more cover for my covies.

There is 100 acres of pasture that is not being grazed, but will be burned on a 1/3 per year patch burn. There will be about a 4-5 acre Pollinator plot. Additionally, I will have a 30' buffer around the other 4 crop fields the will be planted in Milo this year.

Woody cover, winter cover, or food are not an issue. If you drove by the place and saw it, you would like the cover. But the grass it too thick for brood cover, and there are a lot of hawks in the area. So burning and tree removal is a must.
 
Steve, be a bit conscious of the level of bare ground and thatch in your grass stand. You may find that you'll need some cattle involved to keep the cover conducive to quail. It's a difficult balance.
 
Prairie Drifter said:
Steve, be a bit conscious of the level of bare ground and thatch in your grass stand. You may find that you'll need some cattle involved to keep the cover conducive to quail. It's a difficult balance.
Click to expand...


Yep, that may be a problem. But we will give this a try and go from there. I will have to fix a lot of fence to graze it. So we will see.
 
Last edited:
I may visit your place late in the day so I don't have to fix fence too long! I've gone through the fence in 5 pastures this spring! Some of that really needs replaced. I have to work on one pond still, but have most everything done other than that.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top