Presented by
Chirosha Lakmini
In
commercial Forest Plantation cycle, after land preparations and planting of
seedlings, pruning and thinning are conducted to obtain better quality timber.
Pruning is the removal of live and dead branches from the bole at early stage.
Pruning can be natural or artificial and natural pruning is further divided
into physical and biotic processes. Trees do not always benefit from pruning
and therefore it should only be carried out after careful consideration of the
objectives of management.
Generally
pruning practice has three steps, (i) to remove dead, broken, diseased
branches; (ii) to identify main stem and remove competing branches; and (iii)
to suppress or removal of lover limbs. Pruning types are singling, formative
pruning, brashing and high pruning. Yet there are special pruning types for
Conifers which are variable lift and fixed lift. The equipments used in pruning
are the head pole saw, the pole pruner, bypass style hand sheer, foot handles,
hand saw.
Thinning is the felling made in an immature
stand for the purpose of improving the growth and form of the trees that remain
without permanently breaking the canopy. Selection and systematic are the two
main thinning types. Selection thinning can be further divided into low
thinning, crown thinning and systematic thinning is the row thinning. A good
thinning requires a clear objective, a sharp axe and a cold heart. Objectives
of thinning, however, vary with the growth potential and increase of net yield.
Thinning type, intensity, thinning cycle and distribution of remaining trees
are the main concerns in thinning practices.
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