 There is beauty in the form of trees There is life along the life upon the breeze You can gaze upon a beauty You can walk among the trees You can watch the forest and choose Feel the gentle breeze There is value in the resource There is value in the way There's a future for our children A future that is good Landowners interested in stewardship of the forest resource frequently of multiple woodlot objectives such as timber, wildlife and aesthetics Crop tree management is a means of accomplishing varied objectives through production of benefits that meet the stewardship goal Crop tree management recognizes the individual tree as the benefit producer It focuses on selecting and releasing trees having the greatest potential to yield benefits consistent with landowner objectives This practice is intended for use on the private non-industrial forest where woodlot size is often less than 100 acres It can be applied in pre-commercial stands as well as those that are commercially operable Use of the crop tree management concept requires obtaining a clear understanding of the landowner's objectives selecting crop trees accordingly and releasing them from competition by neighboring trees Let's proceed by taking a look at each of these steps to give you a better understanding of what's involved in applying crop tree management on the private non-industrial forest The first step is to help the landowner describe his or her stand-specific objectives This can be done by asking what use the landowner intends to make of the forest land You may need to suggest some possibilities and explain how current and future benefits can be obtained For example, if the landowner is interested in harvesting firewood you might suggest that by cutting only the less desirable, poorly located trees and retaining those with potential high value A future harvest of valuable saw timber is possible Since clear communication between forester and landowner is vital use of technical forestry term should be eliminated as much as possible Use plain English when talking with landowners When technical terms are used restrict them to descriptions of objects that can be seen in the woods For example, it may be okay to use technical terms like epichormic branches, stump sprouts and hard mast If good examples of each are pointed out to the landowner at the time the term is introduced However, abstract terms like basilaria stocking percent, uneven aged management and rotation should not be used since they cannot be observed in a woodlot By increasing the landowner's understanding of what they can see in their woodlots we're making them more aware of the benefits that can be produced by managing individual trees Once you've documented the landowner's objectives develop selection criteria for each crop tree category These criteria will guide your selection of crop trees and help you accomplish the landowner's stand-specific objectives Let's look at some examples For timber crop trees favor the most valuable species currently in a dominant or co-dominant crown position Select trees with large healthy crowns relative to DBH Crop trees should have the potential to produce at least 2 8-foot bolts of either saw or veneer logs and have no epicormic branches on the lower 17 feet of the bowl For wildlife crop trees choose species with the capability of producing abundant food crops for the kind of wildlife the landowner wants to favor Select crop trees with healthy crowns that can respond to favorable growing conditions Trees with cavities are very important to certain wildlife species for providing shelter This may make den potential a selection criteria as well For aesthetic crop trees select species according to the landowner's preferences These will likely include a mixture of trees that flower in the spring and those that produce colorful foliage in the fall Releasing these trees can increase their aesthetic attractiveness Some trees may satisfy dual crop tree selection criteria which makes them very desirable choices for crop trees For example, this sugar maple could be both a timber and aesthetic crop tree This red oak is both a timber and wildlife crop tree because it is capable of producing high quality timber products and valuable mass for wildlife This black gum serves as an aesthetic crop tree due to its attractive fall foliage It also qualifies as a wildlife crop tree since its soft mast is beneficial to wildlife There may be a few trees that are considered special by the landowner perhaps due to size or unique or distinctive form Usually managing these trees is simply a matter of retaining them in the stand After the crop tree selection criteria have been clearly established you may want to inventory the stand to estimate the number of trees that meet these guidelines This crop tree release tally sheet designed for use with one-fifth acre plots may be used to help inventory and analyze the potential crop trees as well as the harvest volume An efficient method for establishing the boundary of the one-fifth acre plot is to use an angle gauge and site on a target placed at plot center The next step, actually selecting the specific crop trees, involves several important factors As a forester you already have the skills necessary to evaluate individual trees assess defects and make decisions about crop tree potential Therefore we won't go into detail in these areas However we will focus on some less commonly known information to help sharpen your current skills This concept places increased emphasis on the condition of the crown as a tree characteristic that must be given serious consideration when deciding which trees to retain and which trees to remove In fact, a good rule of thumb when using this practice is if you are not stumbling over limbs and brush on the forest floor then you probably aren't looking up at the crowns enough It is very important to select trees with good healthy crowns Growth response rates can be dramatic with these trees Since the crop tree management concept focuses on individual trees it's important for us to have an appropriate way of evaluating growth Individual tree diameter growth expressed in inches per decade is a viable means of measuring growth rates and responses It is also easy to explain to landowners One way to estimate this growth is to look at some stumps in a recently harvested area Measure the width of the last five growth rings For example, if the five year radial growth is 7 tenths of an inch then the diameter growth would be double that or 1.4 inches for the five year period Since we want to express growth in inches per decade we must multiply that figure by two to get an estimate of 2.8 inches overall diameter growth per decade for this individual tree In other words, diameter growth in inches per decade can easily be estimated by simply measuring the last five growth rings and multiplying by four Another method of estimating crop tree diameter growth is shown here Establish paint marks at DBH on ten trees of the same species with similar diameter, crown size and degree of release Measure these trees before leaves appear in the spring and again after growth has ceased in the fall The sum of annual growth for these ten trees gives you an estimate of the per decade growth of individual trees for that species, size and freedom to grow A real advantage of this method of measuring crop tree diameter growth is that it is something the landowner can easily do so he or she can actually chart the progress of selected crop trees over time An annual or periodic re-measurement of these ten trees by the landowner helps maintain interest and promotes a sense of good stewardship as the crop trees grow and produce the desired benefits Here is an open grown yellow poplar that has grown five inches in diameter in five years If this growth were projected for an additional five years it would have an estimated growth rate of ten inches per decade This is a yard tree which is little crown or root competition so it is not expected that comparable growth could be obtained in the forest environment with a complete release However, this forest grown red oak in an unthin stand was once growing at the rate of six inches per decade That is certainly an indication that individual trees of the right species with healthy crowns and a good release can produce such growth What could we realistically expect on the average? Let's take a look at recent deferment cutting research at the Ferno experimental forest near Parsons, West Virginia which gives an indication of how fully released trees are likely to respond The deferment cutting research indicates that we can expect ten year growth rates of about three and a half inches per decade for yellow poplar and red oak, 2.8 inches for black cherry, 2.6 inches for white oak and 1.8 inches for chestnut oak What impact would this kind of growth have on the rate of return and crop tree income for an individual tree? Let's compare two 12 inch trees that are growing on the same one half acre plot This unreleased red oak has a growth rate of 2.2 inches per decade Assuming a stumpage value of $75 per thousand board feet, its rate of return is 14% and its income is $12 In comparison, this nearby red oak which was fully released has a growth rate of 4.2 inches per decade Its rate of return is 21% and its income is $25 Growth is nearly double on this released tree Rate of return is much greater and its income is more than twice that of the unreleased tree Let's move on now to another especially important area Foresters will have to give careful consideration to when doing crop tree management Skill in evaluating epicormic branching is critical A forester must be able to assess the probability a tree may have for epicormic branching as well as the degree to which it could occur Epicormic branching is affected by several interacting factors such as crown size relative to DBH tree vigor crown position stress species and genetic makeup dominant co-dominant trees with large healthy crowns relative to their DBH are preferred candidates for selection as timber crop trees because they are less likely to epicormic branch Certain species have a greater tendency to epicormic branch than others White oak is the most prone followed by red oak, basswood, black cherry, chestnut oak, beech, hickory, yellow poplar, red maple, sugar maple, sweet birch, and white ash Apparently there is also a degree of genetic control within individual trees which influences epicormic branching Avoid selecting trees prone to this deficiency by looking for existing branches Look also for dormant buds Research from the Northeastern Forest Experiment Station in Parsons, West Virginia reveals that we can expect approximately 15% of dormant buds on the butt log of red oak trees to sprout For yellow poplar only about 4% will sprout Contrary to what might be expected, there is no evidence to indicate that leaving mid and under story trees to provide shade has any significant inhibiting effect on epicormic branching When epicormic branching does occur, it is more likely to happen on the upper logs than the butt log It is also probable that there will be more epicormic branches higher on the vole With a little practice, a potential crop tree's probability of epicormic branching can be prudently judged Let's talk now about applying the crop tree management concept to benefit wildlife by increasing production of mast from individual trees Notice the difference in degree of flowering between these two white oaks There's not as much bloom on the crown on the left This is an indication that the tree on the right with the denser flowers may produce more acorns Important mast producing indicators are Size of crown relative to dbh Crown position Species And genotype The greatest mast production within a stand comes from dominant and co-dominant trees Intermediate or suppressed trees produce very little mast since their crowns receive limited sunlight By removing trees with small skimpy crowns, we provide the opportunity for trees with large healthy crowns to expand and produce more mast The important thing to remember when releasing mast producing trees is to expose as much crown surface area to sunlight as possible One large released crown will produce more mast than two or three small crowns on trees of the same species One study at the West Virginia University Forest near Morgantown revealed that in an average acorn crop year for white oak, the production of acorns from individual released crop trees was seven times that of unreleased trees For red oak in a poor year for acorn production, there was a doubling of the quantity of acorns produced from individual crop trees that were released as opposed to unreleased When the increased production for both species was evaluated on a per acre basis, there was twice as much mast produced on the area where the crop trees were released as there was where they were not If you're working with a young stand, it is worth remembering that chestnut oak may start yielding acorn crops at an earlier age than many other oak species Some species produce more mast than others. For example, on the average, red oaks produce more than either chestnut or white oaks, both of which produce more than black oaks The average red oak between 14 and 16 inches dbh will produce two or three times as much mast as the average black oak of the same size Some species optimize production at a larger diameter than others. For example, the average white oak will be 20 to 22 inches dbh before it produces as many pounds of mast as a red oak 16 to 18 inches in diameter Having a mixture of mast producing species is the best way to minimize the probability of a total mast crop failure White oak acorns are generally preferred over red oak acorns by many species of wildlife, but they are available as food for a much shorter period of time because they germinate in the fall rather than in the spring Frequency of good seed crops is another mast production consideration. Red, black, and scarlet oak tend to have good seed crops more frequently than white and chestnut oak Hickory has good seed crops more frequently than the oaks Den trees are another type of wildlife crop tree. It is important to identify trees with cavities currently being used as dens Scratch marks around the entrance of the cavity are an indication of present use It is also important to be able to recognize trees with developing cavities that have potential to become future dens To some degree, you can manage den and potential den trees to benefit whatever species of wildlife the landowner desires The optimum size and location of the den varies with the wildlife species you're trying to favor Certain species of trees tend to form cavities more readily than others Beech, basswood, sycamore, black gum, and ash are especially likely to develop good dens Remember den trees near water are particularly desirable, so they deserve special consideration While dead trees need not be counted as crop trees, neither is it necessary to remove them from the woods The animal in slogan, there's life in dead trees is very true Directly or indirectly, many species of wildlife are dependent upon or at least greatly benefit from dead tree habitat Let's move on now to the aesthetic crop tree category For flowering species such as dogwood, serviceberry, and redbud, select trees with good crowns and expose as much surface area to the sun as possible for more abundant flower You may want to caution the landowner that releasing understory trees with a harvesting operation is not an easy task This dogwood was selected as an aesthetic crop tree However, during the logging operation the crown of the tree was damaged even though care was taken to avoid it While it should recover, its ability to produce aesthetic benefits is currently impaired Maples and black gum are also examples of aesthetic crop trees since they provide pleasing fall colors Releasing these trees will provide room for the crowns to expand and produce more visual benefits The next crop tree management step is evaluating which trees must be removed in order to fully release individual crop trees A technique which evaluates an individual tree's free-to-grow status can be used to help determine which trees need to be removed to release the crop tree This is done by simply looking up into the crop tree crown and envisioning it divided into four separate quadrants or sides A determination is then made as to how many of the four sides are free from competition from neighboring crowns For example, a zero classification means the crop tree crown is crowded on every side and has no room to grow In contrast, a rating of four means the crop tree has no competition and is free to grow on all four of its sides Free-to-grow really means free to expand A crop tree that has a whip zone of only one or two feet between its crown and a neighboring crown is not free to grow in that quadrant Healthy crowns can expand at the rate of a foot per year Therefore, the growing space between adjoining crowns will be reduced by about two feet annually Consequently, having 15 feet of growing space between crowns will provide adequate release for about seven or eight years Giving a full crown-touching release to selected high-value crop trees can greatly enhance the benefits they are capable of producing A crown-touching release essentially involves removal of all trees except for other crop trees whose crowns interfere with or touch the crop tree In the event of two crop trees occurring close together with adjoining crowns, it is acceptable to consider the two as one crown and then release fully around the dual crown This means the two crop trees each receive a three-sided release rather than four, as otherwise recommended Why is a full crown-touching release so important? Many of the best crop trees in stands that have received traditional thinnings and improvement cuts have been released on only one and one-half to two sides Recent research has revealed that this limited degree of release captures only about half of the diameter growth potential of the crop trees Deciding how many crop trees to release per acre depends not only on how many trees there are in the stand which meet the crop tree selection criteria but also on how many the landowner is willing to fully release The more crop trees that receive a good release, the heavier the cutting will be In this area, 32 trees per acre were released in a 55-year-old stand A dense understory can be expected to develop here This is an example of what the area could look like about seven years after treatment When fewer crop trees are released, the cut is lighter In this area, 21 crop trees per acre were released in a 55-year-old stand The understory that develops here will be more patchy and less dense It is advisable to show the landowner various intensities of cutting on other properties so he or she can see what slash and regeneration look like The landowner must be able to weigh the adverse aesthetic impact of a dense understory against the positive benefits of this vegetation to some wildlife species Many commercially operable, previously unmanaged central and northern hardwood stands have only about 20 to 30 good quality releasable crop trees per acre If you give a full crown touching release to the 20 best timber crop trees per acre you will often get patches of dense regeneration mixed with areas of little understory development In addition to the 20 best timber crop trees, you should retain at least an additional 20 trees that may produce timber, wildlife, or aesthetic benefits In most cases, not all of the trees in this second category will receive a complete release You should end up with a minimum of 40 residual trees per acre that are at least 8 inches DBH Many landowners would not want to cut the stand any heavier than this The important thing is, whether you release 32 trees per acre as shown here or fewer as shown here, give a full crown touching release to those highest priority trees Adjust the intensity of cutting by adjusting the number of trees released, not the number of sides of the crowns released In other words, if releasing 20 timber crop trees per acre will result in too heavy a cut then you may elect to release fewer trees At this point, you may be asking yourself, what makes this crop tree management concept so different from an improvement cut or a thinning from below? Crop tree management requires the marker to focus his or her attention on retaining those trees having the greatest potential to produce specific benefits consistent with landowner objectives The marker is forced to single out and release these best trees which often means removing some trees that might ordinarily be retained when doing an improvement cut Many thinnings and improvement cuts simply take out the poor trees and retain the good ones Frequently, marking rules for these treatments call for removing all high risk and poor quality timber trees as a first priority On the surface, these stands usually look very good to foresters but do they really produce optimum benefits consistent with landowner objectives? This stand received a traditional thinning from below Notice how little sunlight is penetrating the canopy Obviously, these trees did not receive much release around their crowns With the crop tree management concept, the marking rules are changed The distribution of the cut trees may be very different The first priority trees for removal are those that are interfering with the development of selected crop trees Consequently, you may be leaving some high risk trees from a timber production perspective in the stand and removing some fairly good trees because they inhibit the ability of crop trees to produce benefits Because this system is quite different from traditional practices it is extremely important that the logger is part of the crop tree management team A clear understanding between the landowner, forester and logger is essential to successful application of the practice This presentation would not be complete without a word or two regarding regeneration Obtaining and encouraging the development of desirable regeneration is a management need that has not been adequately addressed on the private non-industrial forest This is due in part to the rather severe treatments that are frequently associated with it Since many landowners are very sensitive to these practices Doing regeneration work on large areas of an individual's property is usually not an option However, it is often appropriate to take a small portion or portions of the property and address the regeneration issue on it There are two four-tenth acre regeneration openings shown here, one four years old and one fourteen years old Many landowners are agreeable to openings of this size To minimize the amount of severe treatment that must be carried out, carefully evaluate where it will be done For example, if oak regeneration is desirable, look for portions of the wood lot where it is already established Use six-foot radius plots which can quickly and easily be established, as shown here, to inventory regeneration Follow procedures described in the silver manual or other applicable guide to evaluate the adequacy of the established regeneration Then determine the prescription that is appropriate for its stage of development If there is no place where desirable regeneration is established, select an area where it can be and determine what is needed to accomplish it Factors to consider in the location of this area are not limited to just the condition of the forest on the site at the present time We must also consider the advantages of a regeneration treatment with regard to its aesthetic benefits and impacts You should also ask yourself where on the property would an appropriately designed regeneration treatment be most beneficial to wildlife and the people who view it Dealing with the social aspects of establishing and developing desirable regeneration is probably one of the greatest challenges facing managers of the private non-industrial forest Establishing small openings like these is a viable option that needs greater application Showing landowners what these prescribed regeneration treatments will look like is probably the most effective way to help them decide if they are willing to manage crop trees for the next generation Again, communication is the key. Think of it this way In order to be effective communicators, we must be able to find viable seeds of information that clients can recognize and relate to and deliver these seeds to a fertile site where they can germinate and grow Helping private non-industrial landowners reach a forest stewardship goal by providing sound management advice can be a real challenge However, if we're going to be effective at managing crop trees both now and in the future, we must meet that challenge by learning how to communicate well with our clients There is beauty in, there is life in, we can gaze upon the beauty, you can walk among the trees, you can watch the forest and choose We feel the gentle breeze, there is value in the resource, there is value in the way There's a future for our children, a future that is dear