Thanks for watching!

Agreed. Kip did mention the dangers relating to dead ash trees, and the same thing applies throughout.

I agree but it’s for informational purposes. Great info on which trees do what when cut.

Totally agree.

100%

The thinner he makes his cuts shows u more details about how the tree reacts. U can hinge cut every tree but hes trying to show u which ones will actually survive after u do. And very good job on catching that detail though.

Poplar trees do not hinge well. They are prone to snapping and can potentially be dangerous when attempting to hinge. Even with great technique, the risk is not worth it. What we recommend you do with poplars is to cut them off.

Yup! Deer certainly like crabapples. Mainly just to show how different commonly found species react to a hinge cut to show the viewer that in fact there are species that hinge better than others.

You really can hinge cut anytime, when done correctly, the tree will continue to grow and provide food (depending on species) and cover for many years. We like to implement it in the winter, mainly because it cooler, which makes running a saw for hours much easier.

@@Whitetail_Properties Winter may be better for long term survival bc they're dormant and have time to heal a defensive layer against bugs and insects before it gets warm. I just made that up, but it seem logical that fall is best time.

You could potentially use hinge cuts to direct deer, but typically the intention is to bring browse closer to a deers level, while providing some horizontal cover as well.

Whatever direction is easier, safer

Both beech and hard maple are shade tolerant, and the beech is low browse preference. We would suggest you start thinning the beech with foliar or basal treatments to encourage more than just maple, herbaceous and brambles would be best.

@@Whitetail_Properties I didn't think beech was much of a browse species for deer either, ive not seen browse pressure on them. what i do like about them is they hold their leaves thru December and the entire hunting season and with that provide pretty good side cover. But too many is not good either. appreciate the feedback

@@stevedenoyer5956 Yes that is a good point from a cover perspective. We don't think you need to remove all of them, but certainly thinning them and allowing some herbaceous stuff and brambles to start to grow would provide that cover the beech are and provide forage as well.

In this particular video we were more so trying to demonstrate which tree species are good candidates for hinge cutting. Not necessarily trying to show proper technique for hinge cutting a tree. Sorry if there was any confusion.

It could be. It all depends on what the objective of the landowner is. Are they prioritizing food? Or cover? Or both? That's why determining your objectives prior to starting any habitat work is key!

You can try it. Basswood is a softer hardwood, so you may have some trouble hinging them without having them break.

I have recently tested out hinge cutting a balsam fir on my land. The hinge tends to snap not bend. I do have some sap wood still in tact. Will have to wait and see how it does. Was a small tree. Big ones would not work at all I don’t think.

Conifers do not hinge well at all

We were just showing how a few different species react to hinge cutting. Crab apple wouldn't be a top candidate for hinge cutting.

Because it has a chain break.

Yes because it has a chain break, and also in case the tree needed to be cut a little bit more.

In almost every instance the trees we are cutting are not valuable trees from a timber harvest standpoint. Removing a layer of trees allows sunlight to hit the forest floor allowing herbaceous species to grow, while also providing cover for deer and other wildlife with the trees the were cut. Theres some nuance to this, we have a ton of videos explaining the process and school of thought on it.

The purpose of the demonstration was to cut the tree and discuss whether or not it was a good candidate for hinge cutting and why. Not necessarily to demonstrate proper technique or cut trees that are actually beneficial for wildlife.