Fly on the Slash Wall

Season 3 | Episode 4 | May 31, 2022

Necessity is the mother of invention, even in silviculture. Foresters in the eastern U.S. often struggle with regenerating trees due to severe deer browse. Yet mitigating solutions, like fencing and tree shelters, are costly and problematic. What if you could use a resource that is abundant, on-site, and cheap to keep the deer out? On this episode of SilviCast we explore the innovative strategy of “slash walls,” or the use of logging residues to form deer barriers around regenerating stands. Join us as we explore the ins and outs of slash walls with Peter Smallidge, Brett Chedzoy, and Jason Hennes.

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GUESTS ON THIS EPISODE

Peter Smallidge (left)

New York State Extension Forester and Arnot Forest Director, Cornell University

As the New York State Extension Forester, Peter coordinates Cornell’s ForestConnect program. ForestConnect integrates applied research and extension to help forest owners, maple producers, managers, foresters, and other practitioners find the information and skills they need to make informed decisions that sustain a working, productive and healthy forest. As Director of Cornell’s Arnot Forest, Peter ensures the teaching, research, and extension mission of the college is supported through Arnot Forest initiatives for timber management, maple syrup production, and applied research. Peter’s current research focuses on managing deer impacts on forest vegetation, forest vegetation management, and the vigor and productivity of sugarbush maples.

Brett Chedzoy (right)

Senior Resource Educator, Cornell Cooperative Extension

Brett Chedzoy works regionally as a forestry educator for Cornell Cooperative Extension of Schuyler County and is the Forest Manager of Cornell’s Arnot Teaching & Research Forest.

Jason Hennes

Waupaca Forest Ranger, Wisconsin DNR

Jason Hennes is the Waupaca Forest Ranger for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) where his primary responsibilities are fire control and state land timber management. Jason has worked for the DNR since 2011 and is a 2009 Forest Management graduate of UW-Stevens Point.

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Episode Show Notes

Evaluating the construction and effectiveness of slash walls at the perimeter of regeneration harvests to exclude deer by Smallidge et al. 2021
Cornell slash wall resource page
Slash wall overview video (6 min)
Webinar on slash walls (1hr 51 min)
Slash walls of the Northeast (picture and caption gallery)
Protecting seedlings and wildflowers from deer (fact sheet)
Assessing the adequacy of forest regeneration (fact sheet)

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Fly on the Slash Wall