Best products from r/forestry

In general, I'm a "preventative" type guy. I don't like killing anything that could affect the ecosystem (which is basically everything). I know that sometimes it's not possible to just use preventative methods but here's my $0.2

Most hornets/wasps are very territorial, so sometimes putting up things like this will help. It's worked on a few client's homes. It doesn't even have to be as fancy as that. I've seen some people put up Chinese lanterns painted gray that have had success. Not sure about subterranean wasps/hornets though, they might be tricker.

Bees are generally good (pollinators) so if you have a big yard, you could "encourage" them to move to a part of the yard that you frequent less. Things like planting flowers that bees love can keep them occupied elsewhere. Or if the problem is serious, find a local beekeeper. I've worked with a few to move hives, so that way the bees keep pollinating, but there's less chance of incidents (though in general bees that can only sting once are pretty difficult to make angy enough to sting you)

Snakes I'm not too sure about, as I pretty rarely encounter them (and most of the snakes here are nonvenomous). Those sonic emitter things seem to basically do nothing, as my dad put them all around his garage and he's still found pine snakes lurking about (as well as their food sources). My best guess would be to try to reduce/remove potential food sources. So combating mice, chipmunk and rat populations would probably help. Things like sealing up garbage better, putting down traps, etc. Also, snakes are exothermic, so reducing the number of cool places they can go (like hidden places under rocks), and sunbathing areas (areas like rocks or completely unshaded patios) might help, but I'm guessing not to a very effective level.

Yeah, in that case, it might be worth looking for an introductory course in Forestry or Natural Resource Management through an online school.

If you're interested in books, Introduction to Forests and Renewable Resources is the classic introductory textbook on the subject. The book is generally very accessible even without previous knowledge on the subject of forestry. The chapter on Silviculture is probably the most relevant to your interests.

There are several books on silviculture specifically (with the ones by Nyland and Smith being the most frequently used in college courses), but without a decent understanding in both Ecology and Mensuration they may be more overwhelming than useful.

Positive Impact Forestry is a good resource for landowners, and is written with the intent of being informative without being too technical. For someone without a forestry background that is looking to be better informed in making decisions about their land, this is probably the single best resource.

Alright, so you should know you will never be in a situation where you won't be sweating. Add in the fact that it will rain all the time, you need to buy gear that you are essentially comfortable being at least damp in, and it should be able to handle being completely wet. You will also need to recognise that you never win the battle with bugs, you only limit the damage.

Here are some of my tips;

1. NEVER WEAR COTTON. That goes right down to the underwear and socks. Everything should be polyester, lightweight wool or something similar. I wear a shirt like this. My pants are Dickies, which are mostly polyester. My undershirts and underwear are moisture wicking. I wear two layers of socks; a sock liner and a lightweight wool on top. This combo means I will always be managing my sweat and can dry quickly on breaks.
   
   
2. Your boots are the first thing to blow a budget on. I use steel toed rubbers. Why? Sweaty boots are more comfortable than totally soaked boots. I personally use Dunlop brand; something like these.
   
   
3. You are fortunate to live in the US, where you can get a hold of permetherin rather easily. Get a spray bottle of it, put it on all your outer clothes. I wear long pants and shirts all year, no matter how damn hot it is. I rather be sweating than get eaten, plus it keeps ticks out. Lyme disease is a thing to be wary of.
   
   
4. Bug spray is for campers. Bug lotion will stay on you better and can be applied more exactly. It is worth its weight in gold in the peak bug season.
   
   
5. Its a good idea to keep a set of clothes you can change into when you get out of the bush and into the truck, especially if the commute is long. A towel is really nice at the end of the day too before you get into your commuting clothes. It is SO nice to be able to get into dry, cleanish clothes at the end of the day. Same with boots; I wear Crocks when I'm driving and only put on my boots when I am working.
   
   
6. I shamelessly use the same outerwear everyday. I only change my underwear, undershirts and socks everyday. Your outerwear takes a beating, so you better off just letting one outfit take the damage and let your underclothing be fresh everyday.

So as far as books go Common sense forestry is a good place to start.

two things: brush hog attachment for your weed eater, gets through the bushes and dense herbaceous stuff. And as someone said before cut undesirable trees (you have to come up with that definition yourself or with a forester) to 6 ft spacing. This generally gives you a nice looking forest for both wildlife and potential harvesting options.

If the state is playing hard to get, look around for some consulting forestry folks. There are tons in the southeast.

good luck though should be a great project.

I'd give [these] (https://www.amazon.com/Danner-Mens-Vicious-Brown-Orange/dp/B00IQ3IET2/ref=mp_s_a_1_2_sspa?adgrpid=53519956742&hvadid=274870259168&hvdev=m&hvlocphy=1014503&hvnetw=g&hvpos=1t3&hvqmt=b&hvrand=13016204480415131699&hvtargid=aud-649564993678%3Akwd-358547187567&keywords=danner+vicious+8&qid=1554783419&s=gateway&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1) a look. They have a non metal safety toe, 8" of ankle support and are light enough to hike in comfortably for a good few miles. I got the non safety toe version last season and anticipate that they'll hold out for another half season or more of hard work and they're darn comfy.

Reading the Forested Landscape: A Natural History of New England is pretty neat if you're in New England. The book teaches you to recognize the signs of past management in order to make better current management decisions.

Thanks!

Here's my secret "weapon": https://www.amazon.com/TEKTON-6466-PVC-Pipe-Cutter/dp/B000NY4THS

It's made for cutting pvc pipe, but works great on vines. It's about the size of a pair of pliers.

https://www.amazon.com/Wild-Trees-Story-Passion-Daring/dp/0812975596

https://www.amazon.com/Redwood-Forest-History-Conservation-Redwoods/dp/1559637269/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?keywords=Redwood+ecology&qid=1566444550&s=gateway&sr=8-1

These two are pretty decent. I haven't read this one yet but it looks interesting as well.

https://www.amazon.com/Redwood-Logging-Conservation-Santa-Mountains/dp/0940283263

Forest Forensics: The field guide/follow up to this book which is also by the same author is really great as well

https://www.amazon.ca/Plants-Pacific-Northwest-Coast-Washington/dp/1551055309

i keep this book in my cruiser vest. Trees are relatively easy to identify once you get into the swing of things.

I think that being familiar with its counterparts (shrubs, herbs, etc) are VERY important to understanding forest dynamics and as it follows, they're a little bit trickier to identify than our trees.

Get yourself a good field guide and / or dichotomous key with twig and bark characteristics. Twig features such as leaf scar arrangements, vascular bundle scars, buds, and pith can be key for IDing deciduous species in winter. What region are you in?

Edit:
This is the guide we used when I used to TA dendrology in grad school.

This is my favorite tree ID book overall.

Read this book
It explains how to figure out the history of a forest based on current subtle physical features. Might be neat to incorporate some of this CSI type of info into your book.