Tree of the Week - Wild Black Cherry

Wild black cherry is one of the most valuable timber trees, and also one of the most valued by wildlife. The trees produce masses of soft mast, which is consumed by everything from song birds to bears, while they are highly valued in the lumber and wood working industries; bringing in upwards of $600 per MBF, currently.

The mast is dropped in late August through September and is a magnet for a wide variety of wildlife; with trees being visited virtually daily until the fruit is gone. While there is little hunting that can be done this time of year; it does present a great opportunity for one to monitor their wildlife.

One major area of concern is the potential toxicity of black cherry; with the ability to kill large game, such as whitetail deer. Wilted leaves of wild black cherry, and most other cherries, for that matter, are dangerous and need to be managed carefully. Black cherry leaves while green and growing are no danger, and the risk with leaves dying off in the fall are also no major concern. The area of concern lies in leaves that are wilted on broken or fallen limbs; as these are the leaves that contain dangerous levels of cyanide; in fact, one study concluded that a mere two ounces of these leaves deliver a toxic dose of cyanide to whitetail deer. Thus, if managing for wildlife is a major concern; land managers should take time to ensure that minimal broken or fallen limbs are accessible to wildlife. While this can be a major project after a strong wind storm; black cherry is a desirable tree for many wildlife species and thus putting in this extra work should be a priority to ensure the safety of your herd.

Managing black cherry in a dual-purpose land management plan will most likely favor timber production, considering its substantial economic value. Thus, close plantings are vital to ensuring clear, straight stem form. While this will restrict canopy development; managing black cherry stands can produce enough mast to feed a large wildlife population. If black cherry exists in clearings; where canopies are allowed to fully develop at the expense of the stem form, the trees exist mainly for wildlife purposes. In such situations; one needs to weigh the trees value carefully when considering the toxicity of fallen limbs. If the land is going to be intensively managed, it is beneficial to leave the trees; however, if the land isn't going to be to heavily managed, the tree should be removed to minimize the risk of poisoning wildlife.

Black cherry can be planted from seed or seedlings, however, seedlings are the best option, as the seeds have a thick coat that can make germination rates very low. As far as seedlings are concerned; there is a choice between standard and genetically modified seedlings. This is purely an economic decision; genetically modified trees can produce substantially higher quality wood on a much quicker time horizon, which comes at a substantially increased cost. These trees are available through Advanced Tree Technology, where you can find more information about them.

Timber Rating: A+

Mast Rating: B+

Overall Rating: A

Locating Black Bear in the Fall

Finding black bear this time of year can be relatively easy if you're in an area where black bear roam. Because bears typically den in the winter; they need to build up their fat reserves, meaning they spend most of their time from now until winter eating heavily. In knowing that, one simply needs to know a bear's favorite foods to put it to use.

Bears consume large amounts of berries in the late summer, whether it be blackberries, blueberries or raspberries, among others. Locating a berry patch that a bear has been to is the challenge; but knowing whether a bear has been there or not is easy; the bushes/brambles will be all tore up, with much of the foliage missing. Come early fall, apples, black cherries and wild grapes will begin to fall, which are other staples of the black bear diet. Shortly after; acorns will start to drop, providing yet another great food source to keep an eye out for. As with any animal, black bears prefer white oak acorns, but will consume red if the supply of white is limited. Also on their diet is beech and hickory nuts and the occasional small mammal.

To determine what a bear is eating; one must analyze what is found in the bear's scat. Here is a great compilation of various contents of bear scat, which may be helpful. Once you figure out what a bear is eating; the quest to find these food sources becomes key. Here, in Upstate New York, one needs to look no further than along shore lines of many of the various Adirondack lakes to find berry bushes, while apples can be located on long-abandoned farmland. Other than these, locating food sources is simply a matter of putting in the time to walk the woods in search of food sources; ie. oak and black cherry trees. Oak trees, as well as black cherry, can often be found on the lower half of north and east-facing slopes in well-drained soil. While black cherry is often more tolerant of wetter conditions, the mast productivity decreases as soil moisture content increases.

If you're in an area with relatively fresh sign of bear but are unable to locate the food sources; using a predator call may be to your advantage in attempting to see the bear. The sounds of dying cottontail, fawns in distress and the like typically spell out an easy dinner for a hungry black bear. While bears consume mammals as only 10% of their diet; they are more than likely to come to the sound of a dying animal, as bears do not hunt other animals, rather scavenge on the weak and dying, as they also are not overly fond of the smell/taste of rotting flesh.