I appreciated the advice from Greg Schmitt. It was practical advice that will require a lot of sweat equity. I especially appreciated his recommendation to establish a plan.

I've got a small farm with several large cedar patches. I declared war on them and have found that my tractor with a grapple on the front paired with a chain saw are a great combination. You can pile them and burn them at a place of your choosing. Most of the ground under the cedars is very acidic with a ph in the low to mid 4's. Burning them in these places helps to offset that and gives you "green spots" where you burn.

Great vid, Bill! Land management/habitat management goes hand-in-hand with wildlife management. Glad you’ll be doing more of this subject matter!

Really enjoyed the episode. I’m working my way through a mess on my property left from past timber practices. Love the land and habitat management content. It’s very helpful and entertaining. 👍👍

Pumped about this new Dream Farm Series. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and helping me improve habitat and better hunt deer!

Good episode, Bill. The problem with cedar as you probably know, it that even after you burn it, the skeleton's remain. In some cases a dead cedar log in the woods can last decades.

I totally enjoyed watching you guys, as you put your cedar habitat plan together with its struggles and complexities outlined. It is a "Dream Farm" in the making. Best of luck! Cris

When I was in my twenties we logged cedar in norther Arkansas and Southern Mo. - cedar logs were and still are a source of income for many in the Ozarks - lots of family owned mills. It was the same in Mo., they used to graze sheep and burn on the hills but when they stopped the cedar took over, the glade country is covered with cedar. On WMA lands at home it gets cut and burned just like you will be doing to create Savannah habitat. I’ve seen deer eat cedar but not very often. In Mo. someone would pay you to let them come in and log off your cedar. The logs can be as small as 5-6” across on the top end of a 52” log. I’ve cut single trees that made 6 52” log ( they called it “Pencil Cedar” because it was used to make pencils back in the day). Most all red ( aromatic) cedar is cut into 4-5” slabs as wide as the log will make then shipped to China🙄to be processed into closet lining. I’ve got several photos of cutting and milling years ago. I got my first and only concussion ( and fractured back) while logging cedar. Getting knocked out is the only way to go- never felt a thing😂 Be safe and good luck!! ( BTW it was a smaller tree that knocked me out - be careful out there!!)

Hey Bill! Great segment, have a ton of folks here in SE Iowa doing the same thing with the Brush Management practice through the EQIP C/S program! Planted a ton of Red cedar when I worked in north central Iowa for winter habitat for pheasant, now we chop and drop them by the thousands here in SE Iowa! Miss our farm visits together, but you are in good hands with Schmitty......I tutored him years ago!!!

I am glad to see a big name in the whitetail industry doing habitat restoration! I have the same red cedar and invasives problem on one of the properties I hunt and it is a chore to clear them out but totally worth it! I work on bluffs in the driftless area for a living doing native habitat restoration and I promise that the end result is worth the work.

Keep in mind that you will want clean face cuts, no hinges. It will take longer for the tree to die and dry. Also just out of curisoty as a landowner know knowing the amount of work and time that goes into habitat management and the long process, how much would you contract an individual or group to do work for you?

Great video Bill. I can't wait to see the spring burns video.

Awesome information Bill. Great video!

awesome, love the land management vids wish ya could do as many as possible!

I'm looking forward to this series. I appreciate you sharing the thought process that goes into your improvements. Nice to see the before and after shots, and I hope we get to see the fruits of your labor during next year's hunting season.

Great video Bill, and advice.

Gonna be a great series and I’m genuinely looking forward to it!! Just make sure Ethan does his fair share of work😂 !!

I know here in Ky there’s a lot of people wanting cedar posts for fencing. To the point they would drag alot of that into a pile and cut. Prescribed fire is the best option here but much work Bill. I would double up on fire breaks and get a larger crew out there. Getting away from the hood oaks may be challenging but very doable. Tnx Bill

Very Informative Episode!

I'm battling cedars here in KY. I have started making rabbit habitat with the cut cedars. I criss cross the pole sections, then cover with the limb debris. Kinda place them out strategic, then burn piles as I can. Good luck on your project. It is a neverending project for me.

I enjoyed the episode, Bill.

I live in the Ozarks close to Dr. Grant Woods, so have steep hills with lots of cedars. I did what he does, which is cut them down, then send prescribed fire through the following spring. It burns them up very nicely.

Looking forward to the series! Have you thought about hiring a feller buncher for the big stuff and maybe a skid steer with a mulcher for the small stuff? Also here there is a market for some of the larger cedar.

You definitely have your hands full Bill. Drone sure shows a whole lot of cedar

Enjoying this. Some places where I hunt, the cedars are such a magnet for bedding that the nearby fields are deer magnets and great stand sites. Seeing some of the downed cedars and the beautiful color of the wood, I wondered if any local woodworkers might want the wood. Still, I'm sure they will be hard to remove once cut down....

Dream Big brother 🙏

Lots of good looking cedar fence posts there

Two things! When walking with that saw even a little bit lock that bar push your hand forward and lock it when u get to the tree needing cutting then unlock easy step might save problems later. And a small mini excavator with a thumb will do amazing things on that slope I have used mine to do the same just a thought Looks great

I ordered a small stihl 194 rear handle saw not the top handle for doing tsi that I really like. Has good power and a light saw to carry around. Have cut a lot of elm and iron woods out of my woods in se mn

Very interesting here in Midwestern Ontario to northern Ontario if you don't have ciders you want have a deer on your farm from mid to late November on they only yard up in huge cider bushes. No matter the food source

Cedars are my favorite tree to hunt out of. Easy to climb and great cover once you’re in your stand. The only downside is that you can’t shoot behind you unless you really open it up, which defeats the purpose of hunting out of the cedar in the first place.

Thanks again for sharing the knowledge Bill! You’ll be forever young and fit doing that cedar removal workout! Is there a way that the downed cedars can be placed where deer are forced to travel to your benefit during the season, or maybe used to make natural blinds? Also, regarding more help, you could tap into local schools or universities where students going into Forestry education could achieve credit for real experience.Thanks again.

great video thanks for sharing it . we are working here in georgia on privet hedge its out of control

Fire, man I want to learn this practice!

Bill you should do a collaboration with whitetail habitat solutions where you he and the young guy in the dream farm series analyze5 or so properties from 50-200 acres talking ab potential management practices and hunting setup

Bill I can tell you’re chomping at the bit to get those pines out. 😂

Winke Wonderland! That’s the series name……😁

good stuff, gotta put in the work and possible fire :)

Partridge feed on cedar buds in winter, provide excellent thermal cover, cover from depredation for deer and birds, and nesting bird habitat. I would proceed with extreme caution and very little if any cutting. Looking at the aerial video it looks like you have plenty of open canopy habitat. IMHO

Mr. Winke, In my experience you will want to make sure and treat the stumps with something like Tordon. Have seen them grow back considerably from the stumps if not treated.

I live in the most cedar dense area in the world and the only thing deer use cedar thickets for is horizontal travel corridors

Man I'd love to come in and help you do that, sounds crazy but I love doing that kind of work, it's almost therapeutic for me.

In Oklahoma they grow like rabbits overnight and our little red cedars they say they suck up a lot of water

If you do get a negative response from any invasives in the understory, the higher grades, we spray from the air in the Fall, food for thought.

Deer love cedars even when they get bigger. They bed under them, the bucks like rubbing on them, and they eat the green off of them. Just my opinion what I've seen I would love to have cedars on my property.

Any values in cedars for lumber might look into that Bill

Bill, what happens to the native seed bank in the areas where you pile cedars and burn? Would the high heat destroy the natural seed bank regeneration?

Do they have any value to furniture makers? Maybe sell/give them away if exchange for cutting and removing.

225 Timber Jack cable skidder would come in handy!

Interested to see how this project progresses and am only a short drive away if you need another saw and body to cut cedars for a weekend! Do you think thermal cover is needed with conifers or will deer bed by quality food sources in late season?

Bill, is there anyone in the area with draft horses or miles? I only ask this as there are still some guys who do special logging with miles and horses around my area in Alabama. They would definitely be useful in getting the downed trees off the slopes.

I think I would get select cuts and use logging rd as a fire break

I would not worry about pulling the cut cedars off the ridge. Let the cut trees sit for 1-2 yrs. They help to provide structure and protect new growth from over browsing. After a couple of years run a fire through them and that hill side should pop with natural growth.

Bill, I bet Jared Mills will cry if he watches all of these cedars get cut up. I have a bet with myself each season on how many cedar sits he will make lol. He would probably transplant them to his new farm if you would allow it! 🤣🤣

Bill could you do a hack and squirt like here in West Tn? It would be a lot easier on you.

look at some of growingdeer wood land burns.

cedar is worth a lot of money. cedar 4x4, cedar decking or boards. what about letting a logger cut it for free if they can have 100% of the timber value. I've talked with fishing guides in Arkansas and they cut cedar on the side. is that an option?

Ever hear of Cedar posts? They could offset some of your costs.

Why won’t they grow in Pennsylvania? They are native and I tried to plant 50 and they all died. What is the soil ph there? Acid here.

Little sketch being on a ridge and slick from the snow.

When your up there this summer watch out for rattlers.

Let those cedars lay a couple of years and then burn. Grant Woods has plenty of videos on doing it. Have enjoyed your content for years.

The cedar skeletons will burn off better if you cut and let them lay a few years for them to dry out.

Looks like a big job. Maybe rent a bull dozer and get it over with.

How much do you want for the trees

You’ve been watching Dr. Grant grow big deer for years by doin this.

Cedar post and boards are expensive really a shame to let go to waste surely there is a local saw mill around just a idea 💡

bill any amish in the area talk to them about the cedars

Need to find someone that is teaching chainsaw tree felling and allow them to use your problems trees as a training tool for timber fellers.

Property covered with cedars usually doesn't perk.

Are you willing to sell the cedar trees

Too bad you are so far away, could make some really good lumber out of trees that size

Furniture.

Burn baby burn! Drop them, dry for a year or two, burn.

Bad idea to cut in the snow, on a slope. You can’t get your footing to get away if something doesn’t fall as expected. Little trees aren’t a big deal. Anything of size I won’t cut unless I have solid footing.