"Hinge Cutting", Are You Sure You Should?

"Hinge Cutting", used by some, as a wildlife habitat management techinique

Forest and woodlot owners look for ways to enhance their forests and woodlots for wildlife
It is mid October and here in Michigan many residents have deer hunting on their minds. Bow season is currently in full swing and rifle season opens up in less then a month!  Many residents that are forest and woodlot owners and hunt their own land, look for ways to benefit and enhance wildlife on their properties. "Hinge Cutting", a type of wildlife habitat management technique, has become popular here in Michigan.

The method of "Hinge Cutting"
"Hinge Cutting" is a method to cut down a tree using only a back cut that does not fully sever the trees trunk from the stump, leaving the fallen tree connected to the stump by a "hinge" of bark. The intent is to keep the fallen tree alive for a while to provide deer with browse for food, bedding habitat, and to direct their traffic flow in the woods. However, many wildlife biologist and foresters have questioned this practice. Hinge cutting has not been researched in controlled scientific studies and there is no scientific data to support it. Although this method may provide some shelter and some temporary browse for food, property-owners have several forest and woodlot management options available to them that would provide a substantially greater and longer lasting results for the wildlife habitat as well as, the health, safety and aesthetics of the forest or woodlot.

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