Timber Stand Improvement

Along with quality regeneration, thinning is the most important silvicultural practice. The goal of thinning is to control the amount and distribution of available growing space. By altering stand density, foresters can influence the growth, quality, and health of residual trees. It also provides an opportunity to capture mortality and cull the commercially less desirable, usually smaller and malformed trees. A quality thinning job generates immediate revenue and sets up the stand for the next harvest. Thinning during the rotation provides the financial returns that allow for more active management which will produce greater volumes of the highest value end products for final harvest. Thinning must be completed to the proper specifications in order to generate the maximum return for the next harvest.