Tree Plantations

• In areas where trees are planted for commercial use, forest thinnings are practiced every 5 to 20 years. The frequency of the thinning depends on the species. Fast-growing pines will be thinned on a more frequent basis than a slower growing hardwood forest. The thinning process can be compared to weeding a vegetable garden. Weaker smaller trees are removed to make way for stronger larger trees. The smaller trees are typically harvested for pulpwood that is used for paper products. This type of practice will pay for itself in the use of the smaller logs. The profit then comes in the later harvest of the larger trees.
  
  

Weeding of the Forest Track

• Removal of non-species trees from the forest is typically performed. This may include thinning of hardwoods from a pine forest or pines from a hardwood forest. The unwanted trees are marked and harvested to allow the selected species to grow in a cultivated setting. Not only will the selected trees grow larger, but forest floor fuel is also reduced. This decreases the chance of hot forest fires. Burning off of these forests is a common practice to control smaller growth. These types of forest fires are called controlled burns and have proven themselves as a healthy practice, duplicating what typically occurs in nature.
  
  

Leaving Room for Growth

• Older forest trees are generally left if they are in good health and in production of seed when smaller to intermediate sized trees are harvested. This allows the older trees to cast their seeds to the ground to naturally replenish the forest. Seedlings, when they reach a certain age, up to three years, may be moved to another location to begin a new stand of trees. In certain practices, the larger older trees may be removed once the new growth has been established. In these forests, the growth is dynamic, as no tree will necessarily reach old age. Clear cutting on the whole has been all but left behind. This type of forestry, removing all the trees at once from an area, fails to accomodate recreation and leaves the land susceptible to severe erosion. Many state agencies now ban the practice of clear cutting and rank that practice with water pollution.