First Thinning

Genetic improve loblolly pine   planted in an old field, before first thinning. The trees are 13 years old. 

Thinning speeds up the inevitable natural process, while enabling the land owner to cash in on the trees that would eventually end up on the forest floor 

Stand  immediately after thinning. 

Fifth-row thinning

Same stand first spring after thinning.  The greenery is excellent  wildlife food, which was not  present before the thinning. 

One year after thinning (age 14)  resulted in a increase in growth,  better quality/quantity  wildlife food, and more wildlife cover 

Is Your Timber Ready for Thinning?

If you have a stand of timber which is too dense (number on stems per acre) and are not thinning it, your lack of management is the worst possible action.  The condition of your trees and the timing of the first thinning are more important than selling pulpwood (the lowest value forest product) at a peak market price.   A proper select cut thinning will increase tree growth, resulting in more trees growing into chip-n-saw (worth 3 - 4 times that of pulpwood).  This action more than offsets the net profit of selling pulpwood at a price below market peak.

If certain criterion for your stand is meet, your stand is ready to thin.  Due to the current oversupply of pulpwood,  experts are predicting pulpwood prices to be flat over the next several years.  Your goal should be to promote tree growth into chip-n-saw as soon as possible, and not grow trees for  pulpwood.   There are several things you should consider before thinning, such as:

1) general health of the stand,  2) growth rate per year, 3) pruning height, 4) tree density, and 5) total height.   With an over stocked stand the growth rates decrease as the crown size decreases, due to natural pruning.  Slow growth makes a tree susceptible to insect attack.  Studies have shown that slash pine will stagnate in growth if not thinned at the right time, even after a select cut thin, and never regain their growth potential.  Your forest needs to be growing as vigorous as possible to avoid a natural thinning of your stand, i.e., insect attacks or natural mortality.   

The first thinning requires good planning and a skilled logging contractor.  The result of this

harvest will effect the future of your forest more than anything else.  Using my services will assure you the best job along with the best price.   

We can determine if now is the best time for you to thin by taking some measurements and developing a detailed report, AT NO CHARGE OR OBLIGATION.

A 15 year-old stand   

Same stand pictured above after select-cut harvesting