Sustainable forest operations are better for Ontario’s citizens and the environment. Clearcutting alters the habitat where trees once stood, and forest wildlife is displaced into new areas. By Lindsay Thomas Jr. Through habitat management and hinge cutting, one hunter is keeping deer on his property and providing great hunting locations during the season. To improve aspen and mixed aspen/conifer forests as deer habitat, a portion should be clear-cut to set growth back to the aspen-sprout stage. Clear-cutting removes the tree canopy so that sunlight, heat, and rain penetrate to the forest floor stimulating plant growth. Clear-cutting has destroyed wildlife habitat so that the community can no longer perform the traditional hunting and fishing that it relies on for food and income. Alaska) call for clear-cutting about 18,000 acres of commercial forest land each year. And of course, you'd want some hardwood timber for acorns. Clearcuts allow more water to enter a stream system through underground aquifers, because water is not being taken up and released by trees in a process called “evapotranspiration.” Goyo, northern Japan.The number of species increased from 15 to 48 as a result of clear-cutting. The resulting bare field can support few deer, but as forbs beging to grow, the deer forage supply increases and deer fertility increases in response - more twins and triplets are born, more female fawns. Without this deer habitat management applied to your deer hunting land, your will not … Clear-cutting can be accomplished with a commercial timber sale Podcast » Habitat Heros #120: Hinge Cutting versus Clear-Cutting. Abstract. Clear-cutting removes the tree canopy so that sunlight, heat, and rain penetrate to the forest floor stimulating plant growth. Feed consumption (and deer density) fell in areas where work was occurring and increased in neighboring areas where deer density had previously been lower. However, once the work ceased, deer quickly returned to the area. They are forced to adapt or move when clear cutting occurs. Forests are vital for the health and well-being of humans, wildlife, and the Earth. The problem is that 100 years of forest growth following a clear-cut does not appear to satisfy the habitat requirements of southeastern Alaska's deer. I'm just not a fan, so whatever! Go ahead and be a big fan of clear-cutting 40 plus to sections of land or even the whole up. Habitat and Herd Improvement #1 Ingredient For Deer Habitat Management. Should I leave the tops for the deer to bed in? I need to create more habitat on my farm. This is a sustained­ yield harvest level based on a 100-year rotation period for clear-cut sites. Maybe an apple orchard? When hinge cutting for deer habitat, you want to leave enough meat to hold the tree and by using a plastic wedge you can get it to fall without cutting too far into the trunk, this technique is called a daisy chain fall.