Timber harvests are a tool to improve the habitat quality of young pine forests. The goal of a selective timber harvest is to re-establish a forest with large, healthy trees and a diverse ground cover of grasses, forbs and scattered shrubs. Our southern climate leads to rapid plant growth. In less than 25 years a field can convert to a mature pine forest dominated by mature trees and little understory.

Timber harvests are messy even when special care is taken to minimize the disturbance. An area that has been thinned will take several years to fully recover. However, the ends justify the means!