Thinning Control in British Woodlands
Forestry Commission Booklet No 17 is courtesy of Dave Stewart whose father George was a forester for many years in the Forestry Commission.
This little booklet on thinning control was written by Roger T Bradley when the UK timber measure unit was hoppus feet. It was designed to provide a simple explanation into the method of managing and organising the operation of thinning of woodland plantations. It does rely heavily on a thinning control regime managed by the volumes removed as thinnings and provides several arguments for this choice. The help of W T Waters and G Haggett is acknowledged.
Thinning is and will always be a topic which exercises many foresters’ opinions with a multitude of diverse ideas on timings, appropriate volumes to be removed and which actual trees should come out. There is also a strong opinion that there should also be a target standing volume or basal area remaining after thinning as a back stop for foresters and machine operators to frequently check as they progress through a crop.
Any opinions and thoughts very welcome.