Sustainable Timber Harvesting

Shelterwood is a method of regeneration that we are seeing more and more frequently. This method involves multiple cuts, but leads to the development of an even-aged forest, since the regeneration gets started at about the same time throughout the forest stand. Shelterwood generally takes two or three cuts to complete, sometimes more. The first cut is light and is known as a preparatory cut. Its purpose is to open up the stand, allow light to enter the forest, and remove undesirable trees that you don’t want to regenerate. It is followed by a second cut, also light, called a seed cut. The purpose of this cut is to further open up the stand, prepare the seed bed, and allow desirable regeneration to become established. After the regeneration is established, the remaining overstory trees may be removed in a removal cut. Sometimes the whole process is done in two cuts, and this is termed a two-cut shelterwood. The advantage with this method is that the overstory trees are not removed until the regeneration is established, providing a measure of insurance. It also requires multiple entries, and is more aesthetically pleasing than clearcutting. It works well with species that are intolerant to moderately tolerant of shade.