The objective of the PCT treatments is to retain the most dominant and highest quality trees of each species. The thinning treatments allow long-term comparisons of the relationship between stocking density, diameter and height growth, and timber quality. Alder and all conifers will be favored as the primary crop trees. High quality bigleaf maple will also be retained, although sprouting stumps will be thinned to 1-3 dominant and high quality stems.
Cascara will be 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.) will be retained for biodiversity, but thinned where they are dense, and/or removed where they are competing with a preferred crop tree.
Understory brush (e.g. vine maple, salmonberry, ocean spray, etc.) will not be treated, with the exception of non-native species (e.g. Himalayan blackberry, English holly, etc.) which will be removed.