Friday, September 18, 2015

Pruning and Thinning Practices in Commercial Forestry



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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