Selective Tree Cutting

Selective cutting creates space for nearby trees to grow.

Selective tree-cutting is the practice of thinning trees on a property rather than clear-cutting an entire area. The selection of trees can be time-consuming and more expensive than clear-cutting, but offers the landowner a degree of control. The landowner must use common sense when choosing trees to be cut for firewood, milling or sale.The Ontario Woodlot Association recommends that property owners hire a professional tree-marker and woodcutter to assess and safely selective-cut trees. The savvy homeowner may be able to undertake selective tree-cutting himself.

Things You'll Need

• Yellow spray paint
• Tree tape
• Logging equipment

Instructions

1. Contact the forest and conservation service for the state in which the wood is to be cut. Familiarize yourself with the laws pertaining to cutting wood in your state.

2. Hire a woodcutter who has full knowledge of selective tree-cutting practices in the state and municipality. Be aware that there may be regulations about removing trees from land near waterways. Be sure to thoroughly read a contract that is legally signed by the forester and yourself.

3. Select and mark trees that are measured to diameter limits if the regulation applies in the area. Hire a certified tree-marker who knows how to do the job efficiently rather than doing it yourself. Go tree-by-tree and look for imperfections, possible disease, large broken branches or trunks. Select trees to remove in a way that will open space, giving nearby trees more growing area and more nutrition.

4. Mark trees that are to be cut with yellow or orange spray-paint at chest-height, making them visible to skidder drivers and chainsaw operators. Tie plastic ribbon-like tree tape around a tree in place of paint markers.

5. Mark any tree that is to be saved with a blue band. The wood cutter may ask that you use a specific color that he can easily see. Save healthy trees that will perpetuate healthy tree seedlings in the future for your property.

6. Cut trees with a fully serviced chainsaw only if you have expertise with logging techniques and tools. This is a highly dangerous occupation.

Tips & Warnings

• As a small-property owner, you may mark trees that are too close to your home or power lines when preparing for the professionals to arrive.

• Pay strict attention to the laws in your state. The forestry business is a highly regulated business for the protection of land, environment and the woodsmen involved.

References

• Forest Ecology Network: Selective Cutting
• Ontario Woodlot: Tree Marking
• Cornell University: Getting Started with Forestry

Resources

• University of California: Effect of Selective Logging
• Springer Link: Patterns of Local Wood Cutting Philippine Mangrove Forest
• Maine Forest Service: Forest Practices Act (see Penalties)