There is no denying that your forest will look very different than before it was logged. The amount of disturbance and time to reforestation depends heavily on the type of harvest and species of trees in the stand. For example, aspen are typically clear-cut, resulting in a very drastic change in appearance. But new sprouts grow so fast that the site will be reforested in 5 years or less. At the other extreme, you may barely notice a selective thinning of a hardwood stand.
Typically your land will have residual tops and limbs scattered throughout the harvest site, or piled in clumps or windrows. There should be scattered snags and residual trees left standing.
The timber sale specifications will determine the type of harvest necessary to provide the desired results on the land. Some examples are:
- At the “landing” (central area for processing trees), you can have the residual non- merchantable parts of trees (slash) piled for burning or scattered back out on the site.
- You can also choose to reserve some trees for esthetics and soften the impact of the changed landscape after harvesting.
- Another technique is to leave a buffer strip along roads or vistas for visual enhancement.
- Trees are often left along rivers and streams
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