The only firewood sized mockernut Ive cut on my property was a stem from a codominant stem tree that also broke during a storm. The stem was 20" where it broke about 4 feet above the crotch. It was the best smelling of the hickorys imo. The scent was the same but sweeter and much stronger than shag and shell.
I wish we had some beech on our property theyre just a great looking tree. Theres a decent amount in the surrounding area though. I think back when this area was logged 100-150 years ago they cherry, elm, maple, oak, hickorys, and late ash just out competed them for sunlight.
What part of Michigan are you in? Around here the beech don't mind growing in the shade of hickories and oak, but the do need to get some sun to ever get big. Beech tend to cluster in small areas of the forest around here, suggesting that they thrive in a certain micro-habitat and are less flexible to soil moisture or soil type than species like red oak and the hickories, which seem to grow anywhere they can. A lot of Michigan hardwood forests are changing. From what I've read, oak-hickory forests need a forest fire ever couple hundred years or else they get overtaken by more shade tolerant maple / elm / cherry. The slow growing oaks and hickories are more likely to survive a forest fire than the more shade tolerant trees, so a forest fire clears out the faster growing and more shade tolerant competition. The theory I read (from a University of Michigan study) said that native americans likely caused forest fires that had the unintended effect of allowing oaks and hickories to dominate some lower Michigan hardwood forests. Since we now control forest fires, the oaks and hickories are slowly losing out. This is definitely happening in my forest in SE Michigan. The largest trees are oaks and hickories, but the understory is dominated by shade-tolerant maple / elm / basswood, and the maples in particular are in the process of taking over. Hickories seem to do alright in light shade, although they grow extremely slowly. Maples thrive in heavier shade. Oaks -- especially white oaks -- cannot grow in heavy shade. I rarely find a small white oak on my property, and they are almost always at the edge of my yard or at the edge of a field. Yet, two of the largest trees on my property are 150+ year old white oaks.
SE Michigan. I have tons of smaller hickorys growing but white oaks not so much. Def also have alot of smaller cherry and elm. I only know of 2 sass saplings on my property and the deer will probably kill those.
We either have Bitternut or Mockernut around here. I have never seen the others. I need to get some pictures. Our bark is much darker also
I love how they make huge buds that look like flowers, and then leaves pop out. I've never seen any other tree do this, although I suppose I haven't seen most types of trees.
Thanks for a great thread. Very informative and detailed explanation on the Hickories. Have somewhat of a grove of them on the property, mostly shag and a few others that I'll go ID. Have one particular that is quite a nice tree, and big. I'll try and get a pic up later.
The shag and shellbark are not huge trees, although I think a few of the other types get bigger. I cut a shellbark thst was 12-14" dbh and maybe 45' tall, and it was over 100 years old. Forest trees grow slow, but I couldn't believe how old it was.
I have 3 Pignuts on my property and I planted one Shagbark. It’s kind of surreal to think I will have been dead 100yrs before it gets that big. If my lot is not clear cut to put up 16 houses. Shagbarks are slow growing so yours has been around for a long while.
I collect all sorts of hickory nuts every fall, but seek out shagbark specifically. Any recipe calling for pecans they’ll work in. I like to eat them by themselves often too.
Article was good and makes me want to think the red maple herd lol. I already have my eye on a few to knock down. Makes me worried for the future though long after Im gone.
Biggest shag on my property is probably the same in height but about twice as big around. Got 3 monster mockernuts too but one is the crookedest, bentest hickory Ive ever seen. Idk how it hasnt uprooted.
