Crop tree release

Crop tree release

My woodlot in Bolton was logged in the 1980s. Through a practice known as “diameter-limit cutting,” all trees above a certain diameter (probably 11 inches or 14 inches) were cut. My land is a good site for growing red and white oak, white and red pine, red spruce and hemlock, but this harvest removed most trees of these species, creating a forest of mostly unhealthy beech and red maple.

Forest Products 101

Forest Products 101

The harvesting of trees is disruptive. Anyone who tells you otherwise is glossing over how thoroughly a disturbance like logging can affect a forest, its growth and fertility. In my mind of the most important thing that foresters do is oversee the harvesting of forest products while looking after the health of the forest and its inhabitants.