The Maple Mansion

Last year I ordered nine chestnut trees. The plan was to plant them strategically around the property in three areas. Last spring I was able to clear out two of the three areas before they arrived.

I planted six trees in those two areas, but then I had three trees left. Those trees had to get in the ground somewhere, so I planted them in the sandy field by the sawmill. It certainly wasn’t the ideal place, but it was the only open area I had other than the food plot.

Cutting Trees to Plant Trees

Last weekend my dad and I went up to The Maple Mansion with the #1 goal of cutting down enough trees to transplant the three remaining chestnuts trees that were somehow still clinging on to life in the sand.

10 of the 40 acres at The Maple Mansion is an old Christmas tree farm that was never harvested. Amongst the blue spruce and random white pines I have a tri-pod stand and a water hole in front of two oak trees. They are the only two mature oak trees on the property and this is where I wanted to add the last of my chestnut trees.

Dunstan Chestnuts, the variety I have, can grow to be 40 feet wide and prefer full sun. When you take into account how big they will get and the extra southern trees you have to take out because of their shadows, it’s a pretty large area that has to be cleared out for just three trees.

It took all day, but by 7:00 Saturday evening enough trees were cleared so we could transplant trees the next day

Opening Up the Mill

While I was cutting down trees, my dad worked on opening up the sawmill for the year.

The sawmill shed is open on a couple sides, so we cover them up with a tarp during the winter to keep out the elements.

Once the tarp was off my dad cleared out the mouse nest in the bandsaw wheels, performed some basic inspections, and fired it up. As I mentioned in my previous post Yeah, We’ve Got a Sawmill after two winters in northern Michigan, the bunks are still level and the based doesn’t seemed to have moved at all!

Most of the trees I cut down last weekend were growing in tight clumps. When trees grow too close to each other they have to constantly fight with each other for light as they grow. This makes trees that are twisted and crooked. Most of the trees I cutdown were no good for lumber, but there were a few that were straight enough at the base to use. While I was cutting down more trees, my dad milled up some 2x4s and 1x5s. We should be able to use most of this for the new outhouse we have to build this summer.

Transplanting the Chestnut Trees

With a sufficient amount of space cleared out it was time to transplant the three leftover chestnut trees Sunday morning.

With the trees loaded up in the side by side it was time to dig some holes and put them in the ground. Once the trees were transplanted we put the old plastic tubes back on and found a stick to stake the tube upright. New trees need lots of water so we made sure to create a mound around the base of each tree to help hold water.

Caging the Trees

The last goal for the weekend was to cage in all of the chestnut trees. Most of the trees did so well last year that they grew out of their plastic tubes. That was great, except eventually the deer found those tender shots and nipped them off.

After doing some research it seemed like the best option was to create cages around the trees. That way the deer won’t be able to reach in and eat the new growth that sticks out from the plastic tubes. I wanted the cages to be at least 5′ tall and strong enough to keep the deer from destroying them.

Tractor Supply Company had the cheapest option I could find. Each cage needed to be 10′ in circumference, so the 100′ roll of welded wire fence was perfect. My dad cut the fencing up into 10′ lengths and tied them together with some wire. We put two 6′ studded t-posts in the ground, slid the cage over them, and secured the cage to the posts.

Getting the cages installed was pretty easy with two people, and they went up fairly quickly. The total cost of each cage was just under $28 when you factor in the posts. That’s more than half the cost of each tree/tube, but I am planning on planting more trees in the future and should be able to use the cages again once these trees don’t need them anymore.

It was another successful weekend at The Maple Mansion. Everything I set out to do got done, and that’s always a good feeling. Plus I got to spend some time with my dad. Win-win.

Let me know what you think in the comment section below, and don’t forget to like and subscribe to get notified when new posts comes out!