Atlantic Forestry September 2020

Unprofitable premise

AFR: Pages 24 and 25 of the May edition show four pictures of stages of growth, from post-clearcut harvest to late succession (“The Future of Natural Regen,” by Anthony Taylor). My concern is that too much late succession gets clearcut and the whole long process has to start over again, and in doing so, the low-value wood gets trucked long distances for really low value at the stump. We should be removing valuable timber and leaving at least 75 percent as a good overstory with small holes punched in it. That way we make the forest less vulnerable to wind damage, and more able to enhance valuable growth. That overstory has more value left alone. Log every 10 years. Keep the operation small enough that it pays by dealing with good timber.

Charles Jess

Yarmouth, N.S.