Aesthetically,

severely overcrowded trees will form more of a thicket than a stand of

trees. Economically such a situation is disastrous, since few if any trees

will ever become large enough for commercial products. Dense stands may

provide cover for wildlife, but with little sunlight reaching the forest

floor, no food-producing understory plants develop, resulting in poor

wildlife habitat.

Most healthy

stands will periodically become overcrowded. This can be corrected by

selectively thinning out the smaller and poorer trees, usually for pulpwood,

so that healthier trees have room for continued growth. In severely overcrowded

stands, thinning is not practical.

To convert

an overcrowded stand to a productive one, thinning can reduce the number

of trees to a reasonable level. Ideally, the thinning should leave healthy

trees eight to ten feet apart. When trees are small, thinning can be done

with a hoe, heavy-duty weed-eater, or swing blade. When this is not practical,

wide swaths can be cut through the seedlings with a bush hog or drum chopper,

leaving two to three foot strips of trees eight to twelve feet apart.

Many forestry vendors offer this service.

The trees that

must be removed have no commercial value, so the thinning will be a cost

to the landowner. However, it is usually money well spent. The cost of

such pre-commercial thinning is usually much less than that of clearing

and replanting an area.

The earlier

a crowded stand is thinned the easier, the better. It is usually more

practical to thin pines than hardwoods. Pines provide much greater economic

returns, so a landowner can afford to invest more in pre-commercial thinning.

Also, pines seldom re-sprout, so a single thinning is usually adequate.

Hardwoods re-sprout profusely, so follow-up treatments may be needed.

For more information

on pre-commercial thinning and forest management assistance, contact the

Georgia Forestry Commission at 770-227-5522 or 770-358-1459.

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