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Increasing forest health through stand release &
pre-commercial thinning
Increasing forest health through stand release & pre-commercial thinning.
When attempting to establish a new generation of trees, forest owners face two fundamental tasks that can become increasingly tricky: seedling release and pre-commercial thinning.
Seedlings planted after harvest face steep competition for light, nutrients, water, and space from each other, from native understory plants, and from invasive species. As a young stand ages, the trees can begin to compete with one another for the same limited resources. Landowners have a number of options for reducing competition for resources: stand release, when the plantation is young, or pre-commercial thinning, as the plantation ages. NNRG is collaborating with Washington forest owners to test the effectiveness of different seedling release and pre-commercial thinning options. Some projects have been completed, others are underway or will begin in summer 2020.
Click on the links below to see the latest information about each project.
O’NEILL PINE
New plantation stand release from competing scotch broom
&
Young Douglas-fir stand PCT
HANSON FAMILY FOREST
Young hardwood stand PCT
&
Young Douglas-fir/Western redcedar stand release from competing Himalayan blackberry
WILD THYME FARM
Young Douglas-fir/western red cedar plantation stand release from competing brush
Funding and support for this project comes from Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (Western SARE).
Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education is supporting the research and training provided through this project with grant #OW19-350 – Seedling Release and Young-Stand Thinning as a Way to Increase Forest Health and Production
contact us
SEATTLE MAIN OFFICE
2701 1st Ave, Suite 240
Seattle, WA 98121
ph: 206-971-3709
OLYMPIA OFFICE
PO Box 6373
Olympia, WA 98507
ph: 360-316-9317