Thinning Hardwood Forests for Health and Productivity

Thinning practices to improve forest growth and tree vigor. Thinning is the process of selecting and removing some trees to improve the growth and vigor of the residual trees. The benefits of thinning are well documented, but selecting the correct trees can have a profound influence on the success of the thinning treatment. This presentation will review some of the scientific literature that describes how trees will respond to thinning, and what owners and managers might expect as a growth response. Different ways to select the location and arrange of trees will be reviewed. The potential risks of thinning will be discussed. The original webinar broadcast was March 20, 2013