Clemson Extension Forestry and Wildlife

Benefits of Prescribed Fire for Pest Control

Brown spot needle blight looks like yellow spots surrounded by brown rings on pine needles. This fungus causes pines, usually longleaf, to drop needles. Burning your longleaf stand can help eliminate the fungus. Photo credit: Dave Coyle, Clemson Extension.

Prescribed fire is a commonly used management tool in both pine and hardwood forests in South Carolina. When used correctly, it has many benefits to forest ecosystems. Fire helps reduce fuels on the forest floor, which can help lower the chances of a wildfire. It helps recycle nutrients, making them more available to the growing […]

Tractors and Implements for Forest Landowners – Part 2: Ground Contact Implements

Photo credit: Stephen Pohlman.

In the first part of our series, we covered tractors for forest landowners and discussed specific options and specifications before making a purchase ( https://blogs.clemson.edu/fnr/2021/10/21/tractors-for-forest-landowners/ ). In part 2, we will cover many of the common ground contact implements that forest landowners should have and some of the intended uses of such an implement. Some of […]

Identifying Common Longleaf Pine Planting Mistakes

Longleaf seedlings. Photo credit: David Dickens, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org

Successfully planting longleaf pine requires attention to detail. Recognizing mistakes may mean the difference between moving forward with a successful stand or starting over. Here is what you should be looking for: It is highly recommended that you work with your planting contractor so that you can check in during the planting process. If you’re […]

4-H Forestry- Why do Leaves Change Colors Experiment?

The coffee filters show the red pigments from the leaves. Photo credit- Jaime Pohlman, Clemson Extension.

The fall colors of the leaves are in them all along. We do not see them until Fall due to the amount of green chlorophyll in the leaves. Chlorophyll is what the plants use along with sunlight to make their food. When the trees are actively growing, they need a lot of food, so that […]

Tractors and Implements for Forest Landowners- Part 1: Tractors

You will want to make sure you have a vehicle and trailer capable of towing your tractor. Be sure to account for the weight of any implements you may tow as well. Photo credit: Stephen Pohlman, Clemson Extension.

As a forest landowner myself, I cannot imagine actively managing property without using the modern-day tractor. In the coming series of articles, I want to discuss the importance of tractor implements and how they can help you manage your property. But first, let’s discuss the tractor and the needs of the forest landowner. In this […]

Interspecies Plantings to Improve Future Oak Log Quality

Figure 1. Retention of branches on lower bole for longer duration can lead to log defects. Also note the poor crown stratification due to decurrent crown form. Species with excurrent crowns (sweetgum, yellow-poplar, etc) are more likely to perform well as monocultures, similar as they are found in nature. Photo: Dr. Wayne Clatterbuck

The booklet entitled, Forest Trees of South Carolina (SC Forest Commission 2018) contains 18 oak species commonly found in South Carolina. Six of these species are considered bottomland oaks and may exist in the stream floodplains. Silvicultural researchers have investigated the beneficial relationship between different bottomland tree species (oak and non-oak) growing in proximity to […]

Pine Straw: Considerations for Production on Your Land

Pine straw box baler. Photo Credit: Ryan Bean, Clemson Extension

With spring weather and homeowners turning their focus to outdoor projects, pine straw sales are beginning to pick up quickly. Pine straw has become a favored mulch on residential and commercial sites. The qualities that make pine straw an essential part of a woodland ecosystem, such as moisture-holding capacity, protection for roots against temperature extremes, […]

Bleeding Orange …… Fusiform Rust

Fusiform Rust on main stem and limb of loblolly pine. Photo Credit: Jaime Pohlman, Clemson Extension.

Springtime usually holds much anticipation for the forest landowner as the outdoors wakes up once again. Usually, we are thrilled with nature’s beauty of dogwoods flowering under pine savannahs and wild azaleas blooming in hardwood river bottoms. Then, suddenly, our attention shifts toward our pines and the large swollen area of its trunk that has […]

Edge Feathering for Wildlife Benefit

Plant Succession from a fallow crop to a mature forest. Image adapted from University of Missouri Extensionhttps://extension.missouri.edu/mp907?p=2

Spring has sprung, and many are ready to get out on their property to continue their forest and wildlife management. One often overlooked aspect of wildlife management is the edge. The edge is the zone where two or more different habitat types intersect. Enhancing and expanding this area using a technique called ‘edge feathering’ can […]

Smartphones, More Than Just a Communication Device for Forest Landowners

Though the first cell phone was released in the early 1990s, most of us probably did not go out and buy one right away. The majority of us probably did not get a smartphone until the early 2000s. It was not until Apple launched the first iPhone in 2007 that the smartphone world was set […]