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Achieve better thinning results by understanding the principles behind carrying out a commercial thinning.
The publication was produced by the British Columbia Ministry of Forests (Forest Practices Branch) in 1999, and is titled “Guidelines for Commercial Thinning”. The different sections of the guide are as follows:
- Effect of commercial thinning on the growth of trees and stands – thinning intensity, thinning type and timing of thinning are included.
- Sub-regional level planning – the impacts of commercial thinning are presented.
- Landscape-level planning – visual landscapes, forest health and biodiversity are discussed.
- Stand-level planning – this section contains information on management objectives, stand selection, forest health and the economics of commercial thinning.
- Silvicultural prescriptions
- Project preparations – explains the procedure to carry out the selection and marking of trees for thinning.
The guide can be accessed at http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfp/publications/00007/ct0726.pdf . It is also backed up a training facilitator’s guide that can be used to train foresters or planning personnel responsible for thinning activities. The material consists of six lessons:
- Commercial thinning – what is it?
- Stand selection process
- Economics
- Project administration and monitoring
- Compliance issues
- From prescription to implementation
The facilitators guide can be accessed at http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfp/training/00003/comthin.htm