Timber Harvest Systems
There are various types of timber harvests that you can conduct on your property. There are many factors involved when choosing which type of harvest plan you follow. Some landowners want the maximum amount of dollar return and they have their properties cut heavily. This might involve clearcutting or removing most of the merchantable timber. Some landowners like to conduct selective harvests and remove a portion of their inventory or timber. The decision usually rests with the landowner. The health and composition of the forest stand can also have an impact on the decision making process. Soil types and stand maturity are also factors in the decision making process. I will explain a number of different types of harvests.
There are two basic categories of forest management: even-aged management and uneven-aged management. The methods are used in different stands and use different harvesting techniques. With even-aged management, blocks of trees are harvested at regular intervals. The method may be called:
Clearcutting, if the blocks cleared are fairly large;
Patchcutting, if the blocks are fairly small;
Seed tree, if a number of mature trees of desirable species are left in the harvest area for natural regeneration by seeding.
Shelterwood, if some trees are left standing to provide cover over the areas harvested while fostering regeneration. These trees will be harvested after the regeneration has been established and is of adequate height.
With uneven-aged management, harvesting takes some trees in a given area and leaves others. This method is called selection cutting. Selective cutting leaves many smaller trees to put on more growth and thus increase in value. This method yields a forest with many different ages and different sizes of trees.
There are many variations or combinations of these methods. A harvest area may employ a combination of these methods. Each method has its place in forest management. Factors that determine which method is used include the kind of trees in a given location, soil types and terrain, the owner's objectives, and insect and disease factors.
