The objective of the PCT treatments was to retain the most dominant and highest quality trees of each species. The thinning treatment would allow long-term comparisons of the relationship between stocking density, diameter and height growth, and timber quality. Alder and all conifers were favored as the primary crop trees. High quality bigleaf maple were retained, although sprouting stumps were thinned to 1-3 dominant and high quality stems.
Cascara were retained as a secondary forest product for both short and long-term harvesting. Other hardwood species (e.g. bitter cherry, western crabapple, birch, willow, etc.) were retained for biodiversity, but thinned where they were dense, and/or removed where they were competing with a preferred crop tree.
Understory brush (e.g. vine maple, salmonberry, ocean spray, etc.) was not treated, with the exception of non-native species (e.g. Himalayan blackberry, English holly, etc.), which were removed.