Cutting Elms

There are some portions of our farm that have a thick canopy from 6”-13” diameter elms. These are providing some cover along a creek, but I’d like to open it up some to release the red and burr oaks that are mixed in. Here’s my question, since I want to encourage the lower level elm growth (our deer LOVE browsing young elms), should I hinge or just cut off completely? I don’t want it to keep the deer from moving through. My plan is to cut a dozen a year or so, so I don’t take 90% of the cover away immediately. If I cut completely, I do plan to stack a brush pile.

I stump cut elms 2ft tall and make brushpiles with the tops.

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You could experiment a little and try some different things. Try the mineral stump thing with some, and try hinge cutting some too. You could do the hinge cutting in the winter to provide some immediate food.

They bush pretty fast so you could do like cat mentioned.Be careful piling brush unless in real open piles so predators don't use them

I love cutting elms and letting them stump sprout, the deer will hit them pretty hard and it will allow some good sunlight through the canopy.

I'd rather stump cut them and let them get browsed. They'll put out a heck of a lot of browse at deer level and you get to build a nice small game brush pile, even though it won't last very long.