[Wings Fan 19]

There will be quite a few weekends of that coming up in my immediate future. Sharpened a bunch of chains this week to get ready.

 

[Wings Fan 19]

This walnut was released ~10 years ago from a couple honey locusts that were crowding it.

Cut that grape vine.
Those things are a pet peeve of mine...

 

[Wings Fan 19]

I wish I'd be better about before and after pics. We've made a couple of huge strides in our TSI this year after spending 3 years just cutting cedar. We cherry picked the best south & southwest slopes for bedding areas. It's nice to move onto hard/whitewood species and cover some acres. Spending weekends cutting in a dense cedar thicket is just not all that much fun, necessary evil but just not much fun.

 

[Wings Fan 19]

So what do you look for/focus on on these south facing slopes.

Deer beds. If they're already using it as a bedding area, enhancing the ground/security cover by dropping trees. Also opening the canopy up will allow the understory to flourish and it will get better and better adding browse. Also releasing oaks/mast producing trees will be very beneficial.
Not every southerly slope is a being area so it's better to find existing ones and work with what's there IMO.