Green Hill Land and Timber Blog

Good Land Management Tools Enhance Your Property’s Value and Enjoyment

As a land broker and Forester, I have taken and taught many continuing education classes since the mid 1980’s. Every so often I take a course that is very inspiring and motivational. Recently, I took a course through Clemson University in coordination with the Quality Deer Management Association (QDMA). The Deer Steward 1 course was mainly concerned with management for deer but covered everything from timber management, burning, habitat manipulation, game plots, forage management, what a cull buck is, herd management, nutrition, buck/doe ratios and lots more. If you own land, you should take this course. QDMA also provides hunting lease … [Read more...]

How Prescribed Burns Can Benefit Land in the Southeast

Wildfires on the West Coast seem to be in the news every year due to low humidity, hot weather, and gusting Santa Ana winds. The destruction and devastation is unbelievable, with damages totaling billions of dollars. This certainly makes us all think about our land on the east coast and how to prevent Wildfires. The Southeastern U.S. Environment Our environment and topography are different than the west coast though. Our land in the Southeast is divided, with many streams and wetlands, making us less susceptible to the large fires. The mountainous dry, windy, terrain of the west is quite difficult to manage. There are things we can do … [Read more...]

Selling Your Land? Of Course, You Need Curb Appeal!

You Never Get a Second Chance to Make a First Impression You only get one chance at a first impression. Why do you think so many residential realtors stage houses? Why do people trim their hedges, cut the grass, paint, etc. before they put their home on the market? Why would selling your LAND be any different? As a land professional for many years, I have looked at countless properties. Some properties have character and some just do not. Some properties are well managed, whereas others are not. A potential buyer’s first impression of your property is of huge importance. This is why a subdivision has a grand gated entrance. Land is no … [Read more...]

Good Timber Management Improves Wildlife Habitat, Before and After Harvest

We’ve written about the positive impact of a second thinning on wildlife habitat. All pine plantations need thinning. Whether it is a first thinning or subsequent thinnings, you will experience increased growth, better stand health and improved wildlife habitat. But what does good timber management look like after the harvest? There are different reasons for thinning and how we manage timber to reach the objective or management goal. For this objective, we are looking to improve wildlife habitat and management food sources and habitat specifically deer and turkey. One requirement was that thinning operations was not to take place during … [Read more...]

Aging Pine Trees and What You Learn from Core Samples

Using an Increment Borer to Take Core Sample When you age a pine tree, you basically count the growth rings you see in the cross section of the tree. Each year, the tree will put on a summer ring and a winter ring. The summer ring is whitish, and the winter ring is brownish. It is easiest to count the dark rings. I have counted over 200 rings on large pine trees. If you want to know how old a tree is in your yard, you probably don’t want to cut the tree down. There is a tool that is called an Increment Borer. This tool enables you to take a core sample (cylindrical plug) out of the tree. The tool has a hollow tube with threads on … [Read more...]

How and Why to Age Harvested Deer

Quality Deer Management & Aging of Harvested Deer The promotion of Quality Deer Management and the pursuit of harvesting a Pope & Young or Boone & Crocket buck has come a long way over the years. Huge amounts of money are spent on deer management and all the things associated with it. We have written about enhancing habitat, food supplements, forage and browse. A key measure in deer management is determining how old that buck is when harvested. An important part in collecting data about the deer herd and health, is the age of the deer. How does a collective of data stack up year to year in relation to the age of the deer? … [Read more...]